Nepal death toll rises to 1,344 as search and rescue operations continue

Nepal’s flood death toll has risen to 1,344, while 4,886 people remain missing as search and rescue operations continue in the affected areas. The latest figures came from Nepal’s police and were published by authorities on Saturday.

At least 606 foreign nationals are among those whose whereabouts remain unknown, including two Spaniards, according to official sources cited by EFE. Nearly 8,000 personnel remain deployed, and rescuers have so far assisted 8,962 people.

Operations continue in the hope of finding more survivors at the disaster’s ground zero. On Friday, rescuers pulled two workers alive from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric plant after they had spent 10 days trapped inside. Kabir Maharjan is in critical condition in a military hospital in Kathmandu, suffering from severe hypothermia and extreme exhaustion in his limbs. Sanjay Sah remains stable and said he had shouted with people trapped nearby during the ordeal.

Identifying the dead has become one of the country’s biggest logistical challenges. Of the 1,344 bodies recovered, 85 belonged to minors, while 1,270 remain unidentified. Forensic teams have collected 2,272 genetic profiles from victims and their relatives as they work to identify the remains.

In Tibet, China, which was also hit by the floods on Aug. 26, authorities reported 31 deaths and 531 people still unaccounted for.