Families gathered across Nepal on Sunday in a desperate search for missing relatives after devastating flash floods killed at least 676 people and left thousands unaccounted for. The disaster struck late last week, triggering a swift emergency response amid fears of further flooding in the affected regions.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported that 2,426 people remain missing within the country, while over 550 others are unaccounted for in Tibet, across the northern border. Among those missing are 33 British nationals, including a 13-year-old girl, prompting an urgent international response.
The UK dispatched a rapid deployment team of crisis response specialists to Nepal on Saturday. The team is coordinating with the British embassy and local authorities to assist British citizens and their families amid the ongoing crisis.
The floods severely disrupted landscapes, with Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal describing some areas as having transformed into “swampland.” Khanal emphasized the urgency of rescue operations, especially at a hydropower construction site where approximately 100 individuals are believed to be trapped in a mud-filled tunnel. He called on the global community to intensify efforts to address climate change, which he linked to the increasing frequency and severity of such disasters.
Identification of victims remains a significant challenge. The District Administration Office in Chitwan district reported that only four out of 233 recovered bodies have been identified so far. In some cases, bodies have been carried by floodwaters as far as 250 miles downstream to India, complicating retrieval efforts.
Makeshift morgues have been established in community and police buildings throughout affected areas to manage the surge in casualties. However, the lack of adequate refrigeration has raised concerns about public health, as decomposition advances rapidly in the region’s heat and humidity. Volunteer Subas Sunar, working at a body storage center in Bharatpur, warned that the situation could lead to a serious health crisis within 48 hours if refrigeration conditions do not improve.
In Kathmandu, relatives of the missing gathered outside hospitals and mortuaries, posting photographs of their loved ones in hopes of locating them. Emotional accounts have emerged from families employing social media to track those lost. One British woman, Tulshi Patel, recounted finding a TikTok video showing her mother, Jitendra Patel, and aunt, Hema Sunil Amin, among a group at the border moments before the floods. The pair had been on a pilgrimage and planned to visit Tibet before the disaster struck. Patel and her family are maintaining contact through video calls and messaging in the hope they will be found.
As rescue and recovery operations continue amid a rapidly evolving crisis, authorities and aid organizations remain focused on managing the disaster’s immediate impacts while addressing escalating humanitarian needs.