Relief and search operations continue for sixth day 955 dead 4247 missing

Kathmandu: The death toll from the devastating floods and landslides that hit Nepal on August 26 has risen to 955, while 4,247 people are missing. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, rescue teams are continuing their efforts to search for bodies and evacuate people trapped in affected areas on the sixth day of the disaster.
Officials say bodies have been recovered from all eight affected districts. So far, the details of the bodies recovered are as follows: 272 in Chitwan, 207 in Nawalparasi East, 151 in Nawalparasi West, 95 in Nuwakot, 62 in Gorkha, 55 in Dhading, 37 in Tanahun and 24 in Rasuwa.
The missing include 85 security personnel and 320 foreign nationals. The disaster is suspected to have been caused by a landslide or a major shift in snow and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border, causing widespread destruction in towns and villages in northern and central Nepal.
One of the most significant challenges in the aftermath of the disaster is the identification and proper preservation of the recovered bodies. In Chitwan district in south-central Nepal, about 250 bodies are awaiting identification. Faced with a lack of forensic facilities and morgues, authorities buried about 100 bodies in temporary graves on Saturday. According to officials, DNA samples are being collected before the bodies are buried. Photographs and other details - such as features that aid in facial recognition - are also being recorded. Each body is being given a reference number so that family members can identify it later.
Police Inspector Anil Thapa said that many of the bodies had been lying in floodwater for about four days, due to which they had started to decompose. Keeping the bodies in the open amidst the heat and humidity also posed a health risk.