Nepal floods: Death toll crosses 1,300 as 4,886 remain out of contact

Nepal’s flood death toll has crossed 1,300, with 1,344 bodies recovered, according to Nepal Police. Another 4,886 people, including 606 foreigners, remain out of contact. Rescue teams are searching hydropower tunnels while authorities conduct identification and relief operations

Kathmandu: The death toll from last week’s devastating floods in Nepal has crossed 1,300, as piles of dead bodies collected in different districts continue to pile up.

According to the latest data released by the Nepal Police, as many as 1,344 bodies swept away by the Bhote Koshi River had been recovered as of 8 a.m. Saturday.

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The death toll could rise further, as 4,886 people, including 606 foreigners, remain out of contact following the floods that swept all before it, causing huge damage to lives and property of people across the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river corridor in central Nepal.

A large number of those out of contact are believed to be trapped inside tunnels of 11 hydropower projects along the two river corridors as rescue efforts are underway.

On Friday, two people were rescued alive from the tunnel of the 60MW Upper Trishuli 3A project in Rasuwa district.

The Nepali government said that rescue efforts are underway to find people still out of contact, while authorities are working on body recovery, identification, and relief operations as well.

Security agencies have intensified search and rescue operations in the flood-affected areas. So far, police say 8,962 people have been rescued, including 1552 foreigners.

Authorities are also stepping up efforts to identify the recovered bodies. DNA samples have been collected from 1,260 deceased people and 1,012 relatives of the deceased, bringing the total number of samples collected to 2,272, according to the police.

Nepal Police has deployed 7,912 personnel for search, rescue and relief operations. Sixty-five police personnel have themselves been affected by the disaster, while 25 remain out of contact.

The floods have also caused extensive damage to physical infrastructure and private property along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems.

Nepal has sought international support for the restoration process of the affected areas once the phases of rescue and relief are over.