Nepal floods: Death toll surges to 1,344 as rescue efforts continue; around 5,000 still missing

06/09/2026

KATHMANDU, Sep 5: The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal surged to 1,344 on Saturday as more bodies were recovered from the affected areas, according to Nepal Police.
Rescue teams continued to search for around 5,000 people, including at least 589 foreign nationals, who remain missing, while more than 13,100 people have been rescued, officials said.
Among those rescued on Saturday was a 60-year-old woman who was pulled out alive from the top floor of a four-storey house, where she was trapped for 10 days, buried under mud and debris after the floods, in Bidur town in Nepal’s Nuwakot district.
Her family had performed symbolic last rites assuming she was dead, after they could not find her for several days following the disaster.
The woman, Chandika Shrestha, was found unconscious by an Armed Police Force (APF) team, and flown to the Nepali Army's Maithili Barracks in Trishuli for treatment. She will be flown to Kathmandu for further medical treatment, said APF deputy spokesperson Shailendra Thapa.
The flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal.
The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.
The disaster also killed at least 21 people on the Chinese side, while more than 500 people remain missing in Tibet, according to Chinese media reports.
Of the total bodies recovered in Nepal so far, 85 were children, while 501 were found with body parts missing, officials said, attributing the condition of the bodies to prolonged exposure to water and the weight of debris.
As many as 360 bodies were recovered in Chitwan alone, the highest among all districts. The rest were from Nawalparasi East, Nawalparasi West, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Gorkha, Dhading and Tanahun districts, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA)
Only 98 bodies have been handed over to families so far after identification, according to NDRRMA.
Identifying the dead has emerged as a major challenge. Bodies recovered after being swept downstream have often been severely damaged, decomposed or recovered only in parts, making identification by face, clothing or personal belongings difficult, officials said.
Prolonged immersion in water and exposure to mud and debris can destroy identifiable features, while some remains have been fragmented or mixed with other remains. Forensic experts say DNA testing has therefore become crucial, but it is a time-consuming process requiring samples from the remains and biological relatives for comparison.
Fingerprints and dental records can also establish identities, but their usefulness depends on the condition of the remains and the availability of matching records, said officials.
As many as 1,030 bodies were temporarily buried after required procedures, including DNA collection, were completed, Nepal Police said.
Nepal’s hospitals struggled to cope with the growing number of unidentified bodies. Large crowds continued to gather at medical facilities, carrying photographs of missing relatives and scrutinising images of the dead displayed on the walls.
Authorities continue to monitor water levels in several rivers, including the Koshi, Narayani, Bagmati, Karnali, Mahakali, Kankai, Kamal, Kamala, Babai, Eastern Rapti and Western Rapti.
Major rescue operations are underway at hydropower projects in flood-affected districts, where hundreds of men are believed to be trapped in tunnels. Teams of experts from India and China are assisting their Nepali counterparts in these operations.
Since Friday, three people have been rescued from tunnels. Two Nepalese men were rescued from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project site on Friday, and a Chinese man was rescued from a tunnel linked to the Upper Trishuli I project on Saturday.
Also, an Indian tunnel rescue team, working alongside the Nepalese Army, has made a temporary track inside the Chilime tunnel in Rasuwa district to allow more heavy equipment to reach the affected areas, authorities said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, two workers who were critically injured in a landslide at the access road of the under-construction 24MW Super Seti hydropower project in Kaski district died during treatment on Saturday, police said.
The victims were identified as Ayush Rai, 26, a resident of Pakhribas in Dhankuta district, and Kisan Rai, 27, of Kapilasgadhi Rural in Khotang district. Both succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at the Manipal Teaching Hospital in Pokhara, Deputy Superintendent of Police Birendra Kumar Paswan said.

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