Nepal death toll climbs to 1,357 as rescue efforts continue

The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal rose to 1,357 on Tuesday as more bodies were recovered from the affected areas, authorities said.

Rescue teams continued to search for 5,326 people, while 13,583 people have been rescued so far, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said on Tuesday.

The death toll from the devastating flash floods reached 1,357 after more bodies were recovered from different affected areas. The joint command of security forces have recovered 363 bodies from Chitawan district, 223 from Nawalparasi East, 222 from Nawalparasi West and 197 from Nuwakot. Similarly, 169 bodies were recovered from Rasuwa, 75 from Gorkha, 70 from Dhading and 38 from Tanahu. So far, 102 bodies have been handed over to the family members after identification and fulfilling due legal formalities, according to NDRRMA.

The floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border, sent the Bhotekoshi River raging downstream, washing away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects across northern and central Nepal.

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.

Around 3,500 people were staying in Government-run holding centres across Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading as of Monday, according to the NDRRMA. But many others displaced by the floods have sought shelter wherever they could, including schools, temples, monasteries, empty office buildings, community buildings and tents set up in forested areas.

Major rescue operations are also underway at hydropower projects in flood-affected districts, where 121 men are believed to be trapped in underground tunnels.