Nepal floods death toll hits 1,356; India-Nepal team rescues in Chilime tunnel

Nepal floods: Death toll rises to 1,356; India-Nepal team makes steady progress in Chilime tunnel rescue operation

Kathmandu, September 7

According to the latest update by Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), bodies have been recovered from Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, Nawalparasi East and Nawalparasi West, including various unidentified human remains.

The highest number of bodies were recovered in Chitwan at 363, followed by Nawalparasi East at 223, Nawalparasi West at 221, Nuwakot at 197, Rasuwa at 169, Gorkha at 75, Dhading at 70 and Tanahun at 38.

The update said 98 dead bodies have been handed over, while samples for DNA testing can be submitted at the concerned District Police Office along with two photographs and proof of kinship.

Around 4,994 people remain missing, including around 1,967 in Rasuwa and 2,340 in Nuwakot. Around 100 security personnel and government officials are also missing, while 587 foreign nationals are listed among the missing.

A total of 13,396 people have been rescued to date.

The NDRRMA said 6,676 injured people are receiving treatment. Medical treatment has been provided to 327 people at 10 different hospitals, of whom 242 have been discharged. The Nepali Army has provided medical treatment to 3,379 people, while the Armed Police Force (APF) has provided treatment to 2,970 people.

Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said steady progress was being made in the Chilime tunnel rescue operation by the joint India-Nepal technical team.

In a post on X, Srivastava said, "Chilime Tunnel Rescue Operations Update: Steady progress continues to be made by India and Nepal joint technical team despite challenges. Safety rope connectivity to induct team into the tunnel was successfully achieved. A large mud pump and a generator were brought in to clear slush and mud from the tunnel. And the construction of road also progressed through controlled rock blasting."

Related to the ongoing operation, Australian tunnel rescue expert Arnold Dix, internationally celebrated for his pivotal contribution in extracting forty-one trapped workers from India's Silkyara tunnel during 2023, characterised ongoing flood mitigation operations throughout Nepal as a professional challenge unlike any encountered previously in his professional life.

Dispatching reports directly from the field in the wake of catastrophic inundations surrounding the Bhote Koshi River, Dix stated early Monday that disaster response squads are steering through a complex, multi-layered emergency.

"Right now, in Nepal, we are facing something I have never faced before," Dix posted on social media.

"Not one rescue, but multiple potential rescues, unfolding at the same time, in different places, each with its own dangers, uncertainties and lives that may still be saved," he said.

Meanwhile, India has asked families of Indian nationals who remain missing in China following the "devastating" mudslide and flash flood on August 26 to submit DNA samples to assist in the identification process.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, on Monday, shared an X post by the Indian Embassy in Beijing, which said, "DNA Profile Matching for Missing Indian Nationals. Please see the press release below for details."

The Indian Embassy in Beijing said Chinese authorities have confirmed that they are now able to receive DNA samples for Indian nationals listed as missing following the disaster.

"Following confirmation from authorities in the People's Republic of China that they are now able to receive DNA samples for Indian nationals listed as missing following the devastating mudslide and flash flood of August 26, the Embassy of India in Beijing requests the families of Indian nationals who remain missing to submit DNA samples to assist in the identification process," the Embassy said in a press release.

The Embassy said families willing to provide DNA information should submit the relevant data in the internationally recognised Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) format to the Indian Embassy in Beijing, which will forward it to the concerned Chinese authorities for comparison.

Earlier on Sunday, MEA said that the Indian forensic team has been processing more than 400 DNA samples at two laboratories in Kathmandu and has already generated around 70 DNA profiles.

According to the NDRRMA update, 21,402 security personnel have been mobilised for rescue and relief operations. This includes 7,912 Nepal Police personnel, 9,287 Nepali Army personnel and 4,203 Armed Police Force personnel.

A total of 3,533 people are staying at 39 holding centres, including 669 in Rasuwa, 2,651 in Nuwakot and 213 in Dhading.

The Nepal government has provided cash support of NPR 10 million each to Rasuwa and Nuwakot, NPR 5 million to Dhading and NPR 135 million to 15 affected local governments.

Nepal is observing a day of national mourning on Monday in memory of lives lost in devastating floods which struck on August 26.

A Cabinet meeting held on September 3 at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers had decided to observe national mourning in honour of the flood victims. Accordingly, the national flag is being flown at half-mast at government offices across the country, as well as at Nepali embassies and diplomatic missions abroad.

The Bhotekoshi flood struck Rasuwa, causing widespread loss of life and extensive damage to homes, roads, bridges, hydropower facilities and other critical infrastructure.

The disaster also affected downstream areas along the Trishuli River, including parts of Nuwakot and Dhading, leaving communities displaced and disrupting transport, electricity, water supply and other essential services.

Search and rescue operations, relief distribution and infrastructure restoration have continued in the affected areas, with national security agencies, government authorities, local communities and international partners involved in the response.

— ANI