Nepal buries victims of Himalayan flooding as death toll climbs past 900
Nepal on Monday began mass burials for the hundreds of people killed in catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border last week, as authorities announced the death toll had climbed past 900 people. Officials in Nepal and neighbouring China are still searching for more than 4,000 missing people, including hundreds of hydropower plant workers across the remote Himalayan region.
A devastating flash flood has claimed over 900 lives and left nearly 4,800 people missing in Nepal and Tibet, according to authorities. Rescue operations have been ongoing for six days now, with efforts focused on saving those stranded in hills, settlements, and river areas. Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet, Nepal's army spokesman, stated that rescue teams are working tirelessly to locate and rescue the affected individuals.
Many bodies have been recovered in southern Nepal, far from the areas most impacted by the floods. However, local media has reported that some victims are being buried in mass graves, which has sparked controversy in the predominantly Hindu nation, where cremation is the customary funeral practice.
The latest figures, provided by authorities in Nepal and China, indicate that multiple foreign rescue teams are aiding local authorities in reaching workers trapped in hydropower tunnels. As of now, at least 90 people remain trapped in these tunnels. Additionally, 17 bodies have been recovered from rivers originating in Nepal, believed to be connected to the floods but not yet included in the official death toll due to pending identification.
Scientists suggest that a glacier collapse in the Himalayas might have triggered the disaster, causing a surge of water down river valleys. The flood, carrying rock, ice, mud, and debris, has ravaged towns near the Chinese border, damaging hydropower plants along the way.
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