Weeks after Nepal flood, thousands still missing and most recovered bodies unidentified
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The authorities have deployed thermal drones and helicopters in the search and brought in specialists to rescue workers trapped in tunnels.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Only about 7% of the bodies recovered after Nepal's devastating flood have been identified, highlighting the challenge of informing thousands of families about their missing loved ones.
- Around 5,200 people remain missing, including 636 foreigners, after the flood killed at least 1,399 people, with DNA samples collected from bodies and families.
- Search efforts use thermal drones, helicopters, and specialists, but difficult terrain and debris hamper progress, causing delays in information flow to families and embassies.
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NEW DELHI – The Nepali authorities said on Sept 16 that only about 7 per cent of the bodies recovered after the devastating flood have been identified, underscoring the scale of the work involved in helping thousands of families find out the fate of loved ones.
Weeks after the torrent of mud, rocks and water was unleashed by a glacial collapse, relatives continue to seek answers from authorities as hopes of finding survivors fade.
About 5,200 people remain missing, including 636 foreigners, after the disaster swept through mountain communities and hydropower sites, killing at least 1,399 people, Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said in an e-mailed statement to Reuters.
The agency said it collected DNA samples from 1,206 bodies and 1,889 samples from family members of the missing.
Despite that, overall only 105 bodies have been identified and handed to family members, it added.
The authorities have deployed thermal drones and helicopters in the search and brought in specialists to rescue workers trapped in tunnels.
The search for the missing has led to a few remarkable rescues of people trapped in tunnels of Nepal’s hydropower plants.
But the once regular flow of information about the rescue effort has slowed, families of foreign nationals said.
“Narrow airspace, difficult geographical mountainous terrain and scale of debris deposited are the major challenges on locating the missing,” the department said.
It added that it was providing regular updates to embassies and families through direct and indirect channels. REUTERS