Nepal flood death toll 1,127; 5000 still missing

KATHMANDU: The death toll from Nepal’s devastating flash floods rose to 1,127 on Wednesday, with nearly 4,900 still missing, as rescuers battled rain and debris, while Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the disaster’s link to climate change must be strongly raised with the international community.

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, leaving a trail of destruction and thousands of people missing.

Addressing the House of Representatives, PM Shah said the scale and nature of the disaster raised serious questions about the growing risks faced by people living in the Himalayan region due to climate change.

“According to experts, the flash flood in Bhotekoshi of Rasuwa district was caused by an ice-rock avalanche in the Himalayas. This incident shows the increasing risk the people of the mountain region have to bear with the occurrence of climate change,” he said.

“Therefore,” Shah stressed, “We need to present the fact in a strong manner to the international community that the disaster is linked to climate change.”

There is a global contribution behind climate change. And the responsibility to manage and minimise its effects also rests with the global community, the prime minister said.

According to the Nepal Police, 348 bodies were recovered from Chitwan, 217 from Nawalparasi East, 190 from Nawalparasi West and 155 from Nuwakot.

Another 66 bodies were recovered from Gorkha, 59 from Dhading, 45 from Rasuwa and 38 from Tanahu.

Police said postmortem and legal identification procedures have been completed for 1,113 bodies, while 95 have been handed over to relatives.

Details of 911 unidentified bodies have been uploaded on the Nepal Police website to help families identify missing relatives.

Security forces have so far rescued 6,541 people from affected areas, while search operations are continuing for 4,858 people reported missing, police said.

Authorities have deployed 7,912 police personnel to flood-hit areas for search and rescue operations, relief distribution and management of recovered bodies.

Rescue teams are also moving families from high-risk areas to safer locations, clearing roads blocked by debris and coordinating relief and search operations with local authorities and residents.

However, continuing rain is disrupting search and rescue operations in Rasuwa and Nuwakot.