Symbolic funerals held in Nepal for missing flood victims

Families in Nepal performed symbolic funerals for their missing loved ones, seeking to release their souls after being declared dead, according to Hindu tradition. Cremation, a crucial final rite, has provided some families with a sense of spiritual solace despite the absence of their loved ones' physical remains.

Meanwhile, authorities in Nepal have been handling the bodies of those recovered by burying them in temporary graves. Authorities are preserving DNA samples, documenting facial features, and recording other identifying details to help match remains with the missing individuals and eventually return their bodies to their families.

The severe flood on August 26 was one of the deadliest disasters to strike the Himalayan nation in recent years. Over 1,200 people lost their lives, and around 4,750 have gone missing, primarily in Nepal and China's Tibet region. The massive wave of mud and debris destroyed towns, roads, bridges, and several hydropower dams.

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) reported that 1,252 bodies have been recovered, while 4,216 individuals remain missing. Rescue teams in Nepal are working tirelessly around the clock to reach workers trapped inside hydropower facilities, some of which are located in tunnels, more than a week after the devastating flood hit the region.

Scientists believe the cascade of rocks, mud, and water that swept away villages, roads, and bridges originated from a glacier collapse near the Langtang Lirung mountain peak. The disaster has severely impacted the lives of the affected communities, leaving many trapped and in desperate need of rescue efforts.