Nepal buries dead as rescuers seek thousands missing

Nepal began burying hundreds of recovered bodies while families continued searching for thousands of missing relatives after a glacial collapse unleashed a massive flood across the Himalayan region. The wave swept through villages and towns in Nepal and Tibet, carrying ice, rocks and debris downstream.

At least 797 people have died in Nepal and Tibet, according to the figures cited. Another 3,048 remain missing, including tourists and pilgrims visiting Tibet’s Mount Kailash. Nepal’s disaster agency reported 781 confirmed deaths and 2,502 missing people on its side of the border, while China reported 16 deaths and 546 missing in Tibet.

Nepali authorities said they could not keep all the bodies in proper freezing facilities and had begun burials before completing identification. Officials collected DNA samples so relatives could later claim the remains and carry out traditional funeral rites. Families gathered at identification centers, where screens displayed images of recovered bodies.

Rescue workers continued searching for people trapped in debris. Nepali army troops and engineers drilled toward workers believed to be inside a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower site after inserting a pipe into the passage. Survivors described horrifying scenes, while overnight rain and rising river levels flooded the excavation area.

The US Geological Survey attributed the disaster to a glacial collapse that sent water and debris downstream and caused huge lakes to form. Chinese rescuers near a border port hit by a mudslide moved to safety after another landslide created a new lake. Relatives at one Kathmandu center faced the painful task of identifying the dead. Shobha Adhikary said one image appeared to show her childhood friend, Rajkumar, whose wife Geeta was also missing.

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It looks like him, for sure.