DistantNews
Support us
🇨🇦 Canada /Disasters & Emergencies

Nepal holds day of mourning after deadly floods kill more than 1,300

From Global News · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Nepal held a national day of mourning on the 13th day after floods killed more than 1,300 people in Nepal and Tibet and left about 5,000 missing.
  • Families completed Hindu mourning rituals, while some performed symbolic funerals for relatives whose bodies had not been found.
  • Search teams continued working at hydropower projects, as relatives protested that authorities had not done enough to find hundreds of missing workers.

Nepal lowered flags at government offices on Monday as families marked the 13th day since floods killed more than 1,300 people in Nepal and Tibet. About 5,000 people remained missing, including foreigners, according to Nepal’s disaster management agency.

The day carried particular significance in predominantly Hindu Nepal, where mourning traditionally lasts 13 days. Close family members stay home during the period, while relatives visit to offer condolences. On the final day, families pray for the souls of the dead and complete funeral rituals.

We are here because we have not heard of any rescue attempt on this project, but it has been 13 days already.

· Sumana ShresthaShe spoke while seeking information about her husband, a consulting geologist missing from the Trishuli hydropower plant.

Some families held symbolic funerals for relatives whose bodies had not been recovered. Cremation is an important final rite in Hindu tradition, and the ceremonies offered some families a sense of spiritual release despite the absence of their loved ones’ remains.

The government declared the day an official period of mourning, but search efforts continued. In Kathmandu, relatives gathered near the prime minister’s office and key ministries to demand faster rescue operations for workers at hydropower plants. Many were swept away by the Bhotekhoshi River or buried under debris.

The only thing we have been able to do is pray to God and hope for a miracle.

· Sumana ShresthaShe described the families’ lack of information about rescue efforts.

Sumana Shrestha held a poster showing her 55-year-old husband, a consulting geologist who disappeared after reporting for a shift at the Trishuli hydropower plant. The project office, a two-and-a-half-story building, was completely buried. “We are here because we have not heard of any rescue attempt on this project, but it has been 13 days already,” she said. “The only thing we have been able to do is pray to God and hope for a miracle.”

Authorities said rescue operations focused on 12 hydropower projects, where about 900 workers were missing and roughly 500 were believed trapped in tunnels. Specialized teams from India, China, South Korea and the United States searched damaged structures and debris. Candlelight vigils were also held in Kathmandu.

They should have ordered big helicopters from places like China or India to fly in equipment.

· Mahesh Prasad ShresthaHe criticized the response after his brother disappeared at a hydropower project.
About this summary

Originally published by Global News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog