Nepal observes national mourning after deadly flood

Nepal entered the final day of traditional Hindu mourning on Monday as search teams continued looking for people missing after the catastrophic flood along the country’s border with China. The government kept operations going after four people were rescued in recent days.

Government offices across the Hindu-majority nation, as well as Nepalese missions abroad, were to fly the national flag at half-mast. The Home Ministry said the observance marked the 13th day after the deaths, which is regarded by the faithful as the final day of mourning.

The day is traditionally marked with rituals and food offerings. It followed a disaster in which a huge wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and China’s Tibet after a glacier broke off on August 26.

The mudslide swept away towns and villages and buried roads and highways under mud and debris. At least 1,380 people have been killed, while more than 5,500 are missing. Search teams have continued working despite the mourning observance, with four rescues reported in recent days.