A 61-year-old man was found dead in the Bagmati river at Balkhu on Friday afternoon, police said.

According to the Kathmandu District Police Range, the body was recovered during the day.

Local resident Prajwal Limbu said the man had been in distress since his house was demolished by authorities during the ongoing clearance of riverbank settlements. “He is from the same Jagaran Tol where I live,” Limbu said. He added that the man had worked for a long time at the Balkhu fruit market.

The deceased’s wife also said he had left home in a distressed state after the demolition.

Police identified the deceased as Indra Bahadur Rai. Superintendent of Police Pawan Bhattarai, spokesperson of Kathmandu District Police Range, said efforts were under way to contact the family.

As part of the government’s campaign to remove “unmanaged settlements” along Kathmandu’s riverbanks, authorities carried out demolition drives early Friday in areas including Banshighat, Shankhamul, Balkhu, and Teku.

The District Administration Office, Kathmandu had issued a notice on Wednesday instructing residents to vacate the settlements. Following the notice, several families began dismantling their homes on their own.

The demolitions were carried out under heavy security deployment, with personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and municipal police present at the sites.