Nepal calls of search and rescue operations after devastating August floods
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Excavators work at the site of the natural disaster in Nepal (Photo: REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)
Authorities in Nepal have called off search and rescue operations following the catastrophic flooding in August that killed at least 1,455 people and left 5,285 others missing, Reuters reported on October 5.
“We are moving from the search and rescue phase to the search and rehabilitation phase,” chief of the National Emergency Operation Centre Phanindra Paudel said.
He added that authorities were considering how to legally declare the missing persons dead to allow their families or relatives to complete insurance, banking, and other legal formalities.
Chief of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority Dharam Raj Uprety said authorities would no longer actively search for bodies but would recover any remains, property, or other valuables found during the rehabilitation process. Uprety said emergency rescues would still be carried out if needed.
A glacier collapsed on the Nepal-China border on August 26, triggering a huge torrent of rocks, ice, mud, and debris that cascaded through Himalayan rivers. Water levels rose sharply, flooding communities in its path.
Thousands of pilgrims and tourists were in the area at the time, including 56 Ukrainian citizens who remain among the missing.
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