Nepal flash floods: Relatives hold symbolic funerals for thousands missing as toll crosses 1,243

The death toll from devastating flash floods in the Nepal-Tibet region rose to 1,243 on Thursday, as rescue teams battled heavy rain and thick debris while searching for people believed to be trapped in tunnels and underground power facilities along the Bhotekoshi River.Prime Minister Balendra Shah said Nepal must raise the disaster’s connection to climate change with the international community, as families held symbolic funerals for relatives who remain missing following last week’s floods.Speaking at the fifth daily press briefing in Kathmandu, ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri said authorities had begun conducting temporary burials for victims as search and rescue operations continued around the clock.Chhetri said 11,993 people had been rescued, while 1,114 bodies had been recovered. Around 3,900 people remain unaccounted for, he said, urging relatives of those missing to provide DNA samples at the Nepal Police Hospital in Maharajgunj or their nearest District Police Office to help forensic teams with identification.He also outlined international assistance being provided to Nepal. A 19-member forensic team from India is working with Nepal Police on DNA analysis, while specialised teams and equipment have also arrived from China, Singapore and South Korea to support identification and recovery efforts.Rescue teams from the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force are working with international specialists from India, China and South Korea to clear mud, debris and boulders from underground hydropower facilities in areas including Langtang, Chilime and Upper Trisuli.According to the ANI report, more than 300 foreign nationals have been safely rescued, while around 590 citizens from 34 countries remain unaccounted for.Working with Chinese authorities, Nepal has also helped evacuate about 2,500 pilgrims returning from Mount Kailash through the Hilsa and Tatopani border crossings and via air routes through Lhasa. Efforts are also underway to clear stranded cargo and assist Nepali nationals near the Kerung border.Addressing Parliament earlier Wednesday, Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the catastrophic August 26 Bhotekoshi River floods, triggered by a high-altitude Himalayan avalanche, underscored the growing threat posed by climate change across the region.Shah said nearly 4,000 people remain missing across Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, stressing that addressing the effects of climate change requires a collective global effort.As Nepal continues to coordinate international assistance from India, China, the United States, Japan, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations, authorities are deploying available resources toward emergency relief, searches for missing people and long-term recovery.According to Nepal Police, 348 bodies were recovered in Chitwan, 217 in Nawalparasi East, 190 in Nawalparasi West and 155 in Nuwakot. Another 66 bodies were recovered in Gorkha, 59 in Dhading, 45 in Rasuwa and 38 in Tanahu.A total of 7,912 police personnel have been deployed to flood-hit areas to assist with search and rescue operations, distribute relief supplies and manage recovered bodies.Authorities have also published details of 911 unidentified bodies on the Nepal Police website to help families identify missing relatives.Meanwhile, rainwater accumulating inside a hydropower tunnel has created additional difficulties for search and rescue teams working in areas affected by the Bhotekoshi floods, said Dharma Raj Uprety, executive chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).Search operations have been particularly challenging because of the hazardous conditions inside the project’s tunnels. Teams from the Nepali Army and Armed Police Force, along with foreign technical experts and project employees, are continuing efforts to locate workers who remain missing.As per the PTI report, Ganesh Karki, former president of the Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal (IPPAN), said rescue operations have also been slowed by difficulties transporting heavy equipment to the tunnels.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.