Nepal Floods: Death Toll Rises To 547, Over 1,500 Still Missing As Search Continues

The death toll from devastating flash floods in Nepal and Tibet has risen to 547, with 1,545 people still missing, as rescue teams continue searching riverbanks and isolated settlements for survivors and bodies swept downstream.

The flood struck the Bhotekoshi river area around Timure and Syaphrubesi in Rasuwa, close to the Nepal-China border, on Wednesday morning. A massive surge of water and debris damaged roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure before flowing downstream into the Trishuli river system.

Three days after the disaster, the full scale of the devastation continues to emerge, with bodies being recovered far from the original flood zone. The Bhotekoshi is part of the Trishuli river system, allowing floodwaters to carry people and debris over a considerable distance.

Bodies and human remains have been recovered in Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan and Nawalparasi. The widening search and recovery operation has also created a major challenge for authorities over the storage and identification of recovered bodies.

Chitwan has been particularly affected by the influx of bodies. By Friday afternoon, 186 bodies had been recovered there, while hospitals in the district could collectively accommodate only around 30 to 50 bodies in their existing morgues.

Authorities are converting an unused building of the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute in Bharatpur into a temporary body-storage centre. The facility is expected to accommodate around 250 bodies. Bharatpur Metropolitan City is repairing and equipping the building, while local business organisations have agreed to arrange dry ice.

Authorities have also identified the electric crematorium at Devghat as an additional option if the temporary facility reaches capacity. Nawalparasi East is facing a similar problem. Bodies have been transferred to Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa and Palpa after hospitals and other health facilities reached capacity.

A community forest hall in Kawasoti has also been converted into a temporary morgue. Pokhara has emerged as another major destination for bodies recovered downstream. Authorities have transported 93 bodies to the city from Tanahun, Gorkha, Nawalparasi East and Dhading.

Hospitals in Kaski have a combined morgue capacity of 88 bodies, meaning existing capacity has already been exceeded.