Nepal-China Flood Death Toll Rises to 1,280 as More Than 5,600 Remain Missing

Families in Nepal have begun holding symbolic funerals for relatives who disappeared in flash floods along the Nepal-China border, as the death toll reached 1,280 and more than 5,600 people remained missing.

In Rasuwa, one of Nepal’s hardest-hit areas, families fashioned funeral effigies from kaas-kush, a sacred grass used in rituals. Dozens of the effigies were cremated on September 2 during a mass ceremony at Pashupati Aryaghat, a cremation site beside Kathmandu’s Bagmati River.

The ceremonies reflect the growing difficulty of recovering and identifying victims more than a week after the floods. In Chitwan, authorities cremated unidentified bodies after collecting DNA samples to preserve the possibility of later identification. Floodwaters swept away homes and family members in some districts, leaving survivors without suitable places for traditional rites.

More than 21,400 security personnel are searching affected areas and delivering emergency supplies. Damaged roads, power outages and disrupted communications have slowed their work. Teams are also maintaining sanitation in temporary shelters to reduce the risk of infectious disease.

Nepal reported 1,259 deaths and 5,083 missing people as of September 3, including 583 foreign nationals. China reported 21 deaths and 541 missing people, including 261 foreign nationals. The floods struck on August 26 after a glacier at about 5,200 meters broke away from Mount Langtang Lirung in Nepal.