Nepal ends search operation 6 weeks after deadly floods, with over 5,000 still missing
Nepal has ended active search-and-rescue operations nearly six weeks after devastating floods killed at least 1,455 people, with another 5,285 still missing, officials told Reuters.
The Aug. 26 flood, which originated near Nepal’s border with China’s Tibet region, prompted a massive rescue operation that saved 13,795 people.
Authorities will no longer actively search for bodies but will recover any remains, property or valuables discovered during rehabilitation work, according to Dharam Raj Uprety, head of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. Emergency rescues will continue if needed.
“We are moving from the search and rescue phase to the search and rehabilitation phase,” said Phanindra Paudel, head of Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Centre.
Authorities are also considering procedures to legally declare those still missing dead, allowing their families to settle insurance, banking and other legal matters.
The floods destroyed 12 hydroelectric projects as well as roads, bridges, farmland and settlements.
Among those reported missing are 56 Ukrainian citizens, including members of two tourist groups, according to earlier reports.
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