Nepal buries dead as rescuers seek thousands missing

Nepal began burying unidentified victims on Monday as families searched rescue stations and hospitals for relatives missing after a huge flood swept through Himalayan villages.

The disaster, caused by a glacial collapse, sent a wall of water, ice, rocks and debris downstream on Wednesday. At least 797 people have died in Nepal and Tibet, while 3,048 remain missing. The missing include tourists and pilgrims visiting Tibet’s Mount Kailash, as well as 933 workers at hydropower plants in Nepal.

Nepali soldiers and engineers drilled through debris toward workers believed trapped in a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site. Rescuers had inserted a pipe into the passage. At another hydropower site, rescued worker Surendra Dowluri said floodwater and slush overwhelmed the turbine floor. “We managed to rescue five of them, but one person lost his life,” he said.

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We heard a very loud sound... and saw that the turbine floor was submerged with slush, and six workers were stuck in that.

Rain and rising river levels disrupted rescue work, while a landslide-created lake forced Chinese rescuers near the Tibet border to move to safety. China has reported 16 deaths and 546 missing in Tibet. Nepal’s disaster agency reported 781 confirmed deaths and 2,502 missing on its side of the border.

With morgues overflowing and inadequate freezing facilities, Nepali authorities began burials before completing identification. Officials collected DNA samples so families could claim bodies later.

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We managed to rescue five of them, but one person lost his life.