Nepal’s flood death toll crosses 500 as hundreds are still missing
By The South Asia Times
KATHMANDU, Nepal - Nepal’s death toll from the devastating Bhotekoshi flood has reached 538, with hundreds still missing and search teams recovering bodies and human remains hundreds of kilometres downstream, The Kathmandu Post reported on Friday.
The sudden flood struck the northern border region around Timure and Syaphrubesi in Rasuwa district on Wednesday, sending a powerful surge of water and debris into the Trishuli river system. Roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure were swept away, while people and vehicles were carried downstream.
According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the death toll stood at 538 by Friday afternoon. The figure includes victims in Rasuwa as well as bodies recovered in downstream districts, and authorities say the toll could rise further as search operations continue.
Bodies have been recovered in Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan and Nawalparasi, turning the disaster into a large-scale search and recovery operation.
The growing number of recovered bodies has also overwhelmed morgue capacity. In Chitwan, 186 bodies had been recovered by Friday, while local hospitals can accommodate only around 30 to 50 bodies. Authorities are preparing a temporary facility in Bharatpur capable of holding about 250 bodies.
Pokhara has also received 93 bodies from several districts, exceeding the combined morgue capacity of hospitals in Kaski.
Authorities are using photographs, fingerprints, post-mortems and DNA testing to identify victims. DNA samples are being sent to Kathmandu for forensic analysis.
Officials are also preparing burial sites for unidentified remains, with each body to receive a tag number and detailed records so that relatives could potentially identify victims later through DNA or other evidence.
The disaster is among Nepal’s deadliest flood events in years, with rescue and recovery operations continuing as authorities search for hundreds of missing people.
