Nepal floods kill 903, leave 4,250 missing; Bihar remains on high alert

The death toll from the flash floods in Nepal rose to 903 on Monday, while the number of people reported missing climbed to 4,250. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), around 9,500 people have been rescued so far.

So far, 272 bodies have been recovered from Chitwan, 207 from Nawalparasi East, 151 from Nawalparasi West and 62 from Gorkha districts, the NDRRMA said. Similarly, 95 bodies have been recovered from Nuwakot, 55 from Dhading, 37 from Tanahu and 24 from Rasuwa.

The NDRRMA said 4,247 people are also missing, including 85 security personnel and 320 foreigners.

Rescue operations involving crews from India and China have intensified as authorities try to reach hundreds of people believed to be trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects, including the Trishuli-3A site. Many of those still missing in Nepal are believed to be workers at hydropower projects.

Meanwhile, 16 people have been killed in Tibet and 550 remain missing on that side of the border, according to Chinese media reports.

Nepal was struck by devastating flash floods and landslides after an ice-and-rock collapse or avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26. River Bhotekoshi, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried floodwaters downstream, devastating towns and villages, sweeping away homes and vehicles, damaging roads and bridges, and affecting hydropower projects across northern and central Nepal.

The NDRRMA on Sunday warned that water levels in River Bhotekoshi had risen again and urged residents and rescue personnel in flood-hit districts to remain alert.

“The water level in the flooded Bhotekoshi river has risen to some extent; all concerned are urged to take precautionary measures,” it said in a statement.

Bihar on alert as Gandak water levels rise

The impact of the floods is also being felt downstream in India, with Bihar placed on high alert amid the possibility of rising water levels in River Gandak. The state government has asked districts along the river, including West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali, to remain vigilant.

In neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, four more bodies were recovered from River Gandak in Kushinagar district on Sunday after they apparently drifted into Indian territory from Nepal. A total of 13 bodies have been recovered in the district over the past four days, officials said, according to PTI.

Mass burials held for unidentified victims in Chitwan

Nepal's Chitwan district, known for its forests and rivers, has become a burial site for unidentified victims whose bodies were swept away by the flash floods.

Authorities have dug hundreds of graves in Chitwan's Devghat forest, nearly 200 km from the flood-ravaged valleys of Rasuwa. They buried 96 unidentified bodies on Saturday and planned to bury more than 100 others on Sunday as recovery teams continued to retrieve victims from rivers and piles of debris, Reuters reported.

Nepalese authorities are collecting DNA samples from the unidentified bodies, allowing the remains to be located and exhumed if the victims are later identified through family claims, official records or genetic testing.