Nepal flood death toll rises to 987, nearly 4,000 still missing
The latest toll comes as search teams recover bodies from Rasuwa and downstream districts, while hundreds of workers at hydropower projects remain unaccounted for. Bodies of people killed in the Bhotekoshi flood are airlifted by helicopter from Syabrubesi and Timure in Rasuwa to Dhunche. RSS
The death toll from last week’s devastating floods in northern Nepal has risen to 987, while 3,916 people remain missing, according to the latest government figures released on Tuesday.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said bodies had been recovered from eight districts, with the highest numbers recorded in Chitwan, Nawalparasi East and Nawalparasi West, downstream from the flood’s epicentre in Rasuwa.
The toll includes 321 bodies found in Chitwan, 216 in Nawalparasi East, 170 in Nawalparasi West, 95 in Nuwakot, 65 in Gorkha, 55 in Dhading, 38 in Tanahun and 27 in Rasuwa as of 9am.
At least 279 people have been injured, including 111 still receiving treatment. Nepali Army medical teams have treated 2,740 people, according to the authority.
More than 11,800 people have been rescued, including Nepalis and foreign nationals evacuated by helicopter. More than 21,000 security personnel from the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been deployed for rescue and relief operations.
The number of people still missing remains particularly high in Rasuwa, where 865 people are unaccounted for. The missing-persons list also includes 639 people associated with hydropower projects and 583 foreign nationals.
Rescue teams have been focusing on several hydropower sites where workers are feared to have been trapped after floodwaters and debris swept through project compounds and tunnels. Damaged roads and bridges and the rugged Himalayan terrain have hampered ground operations, forcing authorities to rely heavily on helicopters.
The floods struck on August 26, when a sudden surge of water and debris swept down the Bhotekoshi river in Rasuwa, near Nepal’s border with Tibet. The flooding destroyed or damaged settlements, roads, bridges, border infrastructure and hydropower facilities before moving downstream through the Trishuli river system.
With thousands still unaccounted for nearly a week after the disaster, rescuers are continuing searches in remote areas while authorities assess the scale of damage to infrastructure and hydropower facilities.
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