Nepal Floods: Bodies Still Missing, Families Perform Symbolic Cremations For Missing Loved Ones

Families cremate effigies of missing loved ones as hopes fade, while rescue teams continue searching for the thousands still unaccounted for.

People have begun preparing symbolic funerals for relatives who have remained missing for eight days.

Source : PTI

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• Fresh rainfall threatens further flooding in affected river systems.

Nine days after devastating floods swept across parts of Nepal on August 26, the country is still searching for hundreds of missing people. Bodies continue to be recovered from debris, while families face fading hopes of finding their loved ones alive. According to Nepal Police, the death toll rose to 1,252 on Thursday, while the estimated number of missing people reached 4,875. Rescue teams are continuing operations in several affected areas, even as fresh rain threatens to worsen conditions.

Death Toll Rises

The worst-hit areas include Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Chitwan and settlements along the Bhotekoshi River, following a glacial outburst near the Nepal-Tibet border. Several communities along the Trishuli River were also badly affected.

In Rasuwa, five-year-old Manisha was found alive three days after the floods and is now receiving treatment at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan Hospital.

Her parents had searched for her for two days before assuming she had been swept away and died. They travelled to Kathmandu, only to learn four days later that Manisha had been found.

When the family met her, she reportedly asked her father: “Papa, I was trapped in the debris for three days. Why didn’t you come looking for me?”

Families Turn To rituals

For many families, the prolonged search has brought growing despair. In Rasuwa’s Paharebesi village, residents have begun preparing symbolic funerals for relatives who have remained missing for eight days.

According to a Thursday report by Onlinekhabar, families are using effigies in funeral rituals after receiving no information about their missing relatives.

For some, there are not even homes left to return to or places in which to grieve. The floods destroyed settlements across northern and central Nepal, leaving communities facing both loss and displacement.

Fresh Flood Threat

The danger has not passed. Continued rainfall in the upper reaches of the Bhotekoshi has raised concerns about further flooding.

Saraswati Bisht, a technician with the Flood Forecasting Division of Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, said persistent rain in the upper Bhotekoshi region could push up water levels in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers.

Smaller rivers and streams flowing through Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts could also see rising water levels, adding to the risks faced by already devastated communities.