Nepal floods leave grim trail in UP: 10 bodies found in Gandak river

On August 27, a Rescue and Relief Team of the Sashastra Seema Bal patrolling the Gandak river in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj spotted something floating in the water. The eight-member team led by Inspector Arun Pandey took the boat closer, only to find that it was the body of a woman — swollen, highly decomposed and with visible injuries.

Using the equipment they had on them, the team moved the body toward the riverbank. “I immediately informed senior authorities about the recovery, and the information was subsequently shared with officials from other departments involved in the rescue operation,” Pandey told The Indian Express, adding that the body was handed to the district administration.

Within two hours after the first recovery, Pandey said the team spotted three more bodies floating in the river. By the weekend, 10 bodies had been pulled from the Gandak in Uttar Pradesh — four in Maharajganj and six in Kushinagar.

An official said the dead are all adults, believed to be victims of the Nepal flash floods who were eventually swept across the border into India. The bodies have been taken to mortuaries, where they will be kept for 72 hours while officials carry out the arduous work of identifying them and tracing their families.

The flash floods that hit the northeastern district of Rasuwa in Nepal on August 26 are understood to have been triggered by a rock and ice avalanche, caused by a large block of glacier in the upper reaches of the Bhotekashi river (the lower side is also called the Trishuli) falling off.

The Gandak forms part of the border region between Nepal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. A disaster management expert said the river first enters Maharajganj district, then flows through Kushinagar and Deoria before entering Bihar.

Officials handling the bodies in UP have recorded details of jewellery and other belongings found on the bodies, as well as distinctive physical features such as tattoos and other identifying marks. Photographs have also been circulated in nearby areas.

Additional District Magistrate of Maharajganj, Prashant Kumar, said the bodies of three women and a young man had been found in the district. “If no one comes forward during the 72-hour period, further action will be taken in accordance with government guidelines,” Kumar said.

Until then, the administration will await information from Nepal or India that could help identify the victims. Officials said they also sent a report on the recoveries to the state government, which is expected to forward it to the central government for further information and necessary action.

Ravi Pratap Rai, a disaster management expert posted in Kushinagar, said they recovered the bodies of three men and three women. Four bodies were found in Khadda tehsil and two in Tamkuhi Raj tehsil. Since August 27, several teams, including Pandey’s, have patrolled the river around the clock, working in shifts to maintain continuous surveillance.

They use searchlights at night and have sought help from local villagers, asking them to alert authorities if they spot anything unusual in the water. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and the flood battalion of the Provincial Armed Constabulary are also working alongside the district administration and police in Maharajganj and Kushinagar.

An official said the immediate flood threat had eased as water levels receded. Authorities, however, urged residents to stay away from rivers and low-lying areas for now.