Kathmandu, Sept 8:
The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal surged to 1,356 as more bodies were recovered from the affected areas, authorities said.
Rescue teams continued to search for 4,996 people, including at least 589 foreign nationals, who remain missing, while around 13,400 people have been rescued so far, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
The flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal. The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.
The disaster also killed at least 43 people on the Chinese side, while more than 500 people remain missing in Tibet, according to Chinese media reports.
Identification of bodies has emerged as a massive challenge. Only 98 bodies were identified as of Monday, and handed over to the families, according to NDRRMA.