Kathmandu, September 3: The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal rose to 1,252 on Thursday, with rescue teams continuing search operations for thousands of people still missing more than a week after the disaster, police said.
According to data released by Nepal Police, 355 bodies have been recovered from Chitawan district, 218 from Nawalparasi East, 208 from Nawalparasi West and 177 from Nuwakot.
Nawalparasi West also received 18 bodies recovered in India and subsequently handed over to Nepalese authorities. In addition, 127 bodies were recovered from Rasuwa, 69 from Gorkha, 60 from Dhading and 38 from Tahanu.
Joint search and rescue teams led by the Nepal Army continued operations for the ninth consecutive day on Thursday. The number of people reported missing stood at around 4,875, officials said.
The flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, caused widespread destruction across towns and villages in northern and central Nepal.
The disaster swept away homes, roads and other infrastructure, leaving thousands of people unaccounted for and prompting a large-scale rescue and recovery operation.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah said Nepal must strongly raise the link between the disaster and climate change with the international community.
Meanwhile, families of people who remain missing held symbolic funerals in several areas, as hopes of finding survivors diminished after more than a week of search operations.
Rescue agencies and security personnel continued to search affected areas for survivors and recover bodies, while authorities assessed the extent of damage caused by the floods.
