Nepal holds day of mourning for more than 1,300 flood victims

Nepal is observing a day of mourning for more than 1,300 people killed in flooding on the Bhote Kosi River in Rasuwa district. National flags were lowered at government buildings and Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad, while worshippers visited temples and prayed for the rescue of their relatives.

The disaster left 32,000 families without homes and destroyed about 7,500 houses. It also severely disrupted vital infrastructure in central Nepal. Nearly 5,000 people, including 589 foreigners, are listed as missing.

The flooding began on the morning of Aug. 26 after an ice-and-rock avalanche caused the Bhote Kosi River to rise sharply. The disaster destroyed several settlements, roads and hydropower facilities. A mudflow also swept away a border post in Gyirong County in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.

The damage in Nepal is estimated at $2.56 billion. Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Ministry previously said preliminary information from Chinese authorities indicated that no Kyrgyz citizens were among the dead or missing in Tibet and Nepal.