Photos of missing loved ones line the walls outside Tribhuvan Hospital in Kathmandu as families await answers after Nepal’s devastating floods (Img: X)
Kathmandu: The search for missing loved ones continues in flood-ravaged Nepal, where thousands of families are facing an agonising wait outside hospitals, hoping for any information about their relatives.
More than a week after the devastating flash floods that struck parts of Nepal on August 26, the scale of the tragedy remains overwhelming. At Tribhuvan Hospital in Kathmandu, photographs of missing people have been displayed outside as families search for clues. Officials said many bodies recovered from the disaster remain unidentified as rescue teams struggle to establish identities.
Doctors are facing difficulties in scanning fingerprints and finding identification marks on several bodies due to the condition of the remains. DNA samples have been collected, while authorities are maintaining records to help families identify their loved ones.
In several worst-hit districts, authorities have started temporary burials of unidentified bodies to prevent the spread of infections. The bodies are being marked with unique numbers so they can be exhumed later after DNA matching confirms their identity.
In areas like Chitwan and Nuwakot, families have been forced to perform symbolic last rites for relatives who are still missing. Along the Trishuli River, priests are conducting funeral rituals using symbolic figures, allowing grieving families to bid farewell despite not having recovered the bodies.
Amid the devastation, Nepal has also raised the issue of climate change, linking the increasing frequency of extreme weather events to global warming. The government has called for international support, arguing that countries contributing more to global emissions have a responsibility to help vulnerable nations facing climate disasters.
The search, however, continues with thousands of families still waiting for news of their missing relatives.
