Tragedy in Nepal: Death toll and number of missing persons rise after devastating flash flood
25 days after the natural disaster that struck northern Nepal, authorities have updated the casualty toll, raising the number of confirmed deaths to 1,451, while 5,786 people remain missing. Search and rescue operations remain active in the most affected areas with the deployment of more than 20,000 security personnel.
According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), this latest report reflects an increase of 40 fatalities compared to the previous report. The final counting process faces considerable challenges, as at least 530 of the records correspond to human remains that are still pending official identification.
International efforts in victim identification
To expedite the identification of the bodies, the Nepalese government has implemented a DNA sampling protocol for both the recovered remains and the relatives of the missing. This complex process is being carried out with the technical collaboration of forensic specialists from India, South Korea, China, and Singapore.
The magnitude of the disaster has transcended borders, affecting 636 foreign citizens who were in the region at the time of the flood, which underscores the international scope of this humanitarian emergency.
To date, emergency teams have managed to rescue approximately 13,800 people. Operations are currently concentrated on six hydroelectric projects where there are fears that workers may still be trapped under the rubble and mud.
Origin of the natural disaster
The tragedy originated on August 26, when a massive mass of ice and rock detached from Mount Langtang Lirung in the Himalayas, at an altitude of 5,200 meters. This glacial detachment generated a flood of devastating proportions that swept away homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure that will be costly to recover.
- Reconstruction estimate: More than 4.7 billion dollars.
- Regional impact: The tragedy also affected the Tibet Autonomous Region in China, with a toll of 43 dead and 519 missing.
- Forensic progress: Nearly 1,300 samples of human remains and 2,000 from relatives have been processed to advance identification.
Authorities continue to work intensely in the affected areas, as the country attempts to process one of the most shocking natural disasters in recent years, prioritizing the recovery of survivors and the dignification of victims through ongoing forensic processes.
