Nepal flash floods: Death toll rises to over 788, 2,500 missing

New Delhi: The official death toll from the flash floods in Nepal rose to over 788 on Sunday. More than 2,500 people are still missing.

The flash floods killed 16 people on the Chinese side as well, while nearly 550 people remain missing in Tibet, according to Chinese media reports.

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Rescuers were working hard to reach impacted areas and rescue stranded individuals on the fifth day of the disaster. Nearly 9,500 people were rescued from flood-affected areas till Sunday evening. Several towns and villages have been washed away after an avalanche of ice, stones and mud cascaded through the narrow valleys on the Nepal-Tibet border following a high-altitude mountain collapse. Several hydro power stations and other critical infrastructure have been washed away.

In a statement on Sunday, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) warned that water levels in the Bhotekoshi river had risen again. "The water level in the flooded Bhotekoshi river has risen to some extent; all concerned are urged to take precautionary measures," it said. Bhotekoshi, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, creating havoc on August 26.

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Nepalese authorities have commenced mass burials of unidentified bodies in downstream areas, given the risk to public health. Agencies reported that authorities buried 96 unidentified bodies on Saturday and plan to bury more than 100 others.

A 19-member specialised forensics team from India began functioning in Kathmandu on Sunday to help augment the analysis of DNA samples for the identification of victims' mortal remains. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared the update in a post on X. "Indian nationals who have safely crossed into Nepal from China today: 403 (as per local government sources on China side)," he said in a statement attached with the post. In the statement, he further said that 500 Indian nationals remain on the Chinese side and "they are safe".