The death toll in the Nepal floods has risen to 1,365. The bodies of 1,147 of them have still not been identified.
Search operations for the 5,326 missing people continued on Wednesday for the 15th day.
On Aug. 26, a massive glacier collapse on the Tibet-Nepal border caused severe flooding in the Bhotekoshi River, devastating districts in Nepal including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Chitwan. Riverside villages and small towns were completely destroyed. So far, the bodies of 1,365 people have been recovered from the flood-affected areas. The highest number of bodies, 363, were recovered in Chitwan district. Identifying these bodies has emerged as a major challenge.
Of the 1,365 people who died, the bodies of 1,147 have still not been identified. These have been temporarily buried after due legal procedures, including DNA collection.
The search for 5,326 people, including 589 foreigners who went missing in the flood, continued on Wednesday for the 15th day. This includes 275 Indians. Efforts are continuing to rescue the many workers trapped in the tunnels of the hydroelectric power station.
In the Tibet region, 43 people have died. Search operations are under way for more than 500 people, including missing Indians.
Nepal parliamentary committee formed: A 7-member parliamentary committee was formed on Wednesday to assess the impact of the floods on Nepal’s economy and decide on the climate adaptation funds that need to be raised from the international community to rebuild damaged infrastructure.
Earlier, Prime Minister Balen Shah said in the country’s parliament a few days ago, “Climate change is the cause of Nepal’s disaster; this truth must be loudly conveyed to the international community.”
Similarly, Nepal’s Foreign Minister C. K. Ganal had said that “major countries such as China, the United States, and India, which emit large amounts of greenhouse gases, have a responsibility to provide compensation to affected countries like Nepal.”
In this context, Prime Minister Balen Shah, who is scheduled to address the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 24, is expected to seek climate compensation from the international community.
Another 35 tons of relief supplies from India
Another 35 tons of relief supplies were sent from India to Nepal on Wednesday by a C-17 military transport aircraft. So far, India has provided more than 10 tons of relief supplies and equipment. Rescue teams from India, including doctors, paramedical personnel, mine rescue experts, and others, have also already been sent.