Nepal to end search for thousands still missing after deadly floods

Nepal has announced plans to end search and rescue operations for victims of the Aug. 26 floods that killed at least 1,455 people, with 5,285 others still unaccounted for.

Families of those missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals, have expressed mixed reactions to the government’s decision, which was announced late Monday.

The office of Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the government would now focus on rehabilitation and reconstruction, including restoring roads and bridges cut off by the floods, particularly in remote areas where damaged infrastructure has hindered aid deliveries.

The government estimates that recovery and reconstruction will cost $4.77 billion. Nearly 33,000 people have been affected, while about 7,500 homes were damaged or destroyed.

Hopes of finding survivors had been revived after two Nepalese workers were rescued from an underground tunnel at the Trishuli hydropower project on Sept. 4. Two days later, rescuers found a Chinese national alive at the same location.

Families of other victims have staged protests and vigils in Nepal, calling for search efforts to be strengthened.

Usha Khatri, whose husband remains missing, opposed the government’s decision to end the search. She has spent days travelling through towns along the river where bodies have been recovered.

“I am so angry at the government for giving up on search and rescue with thousands of people still missing. I just don’t understand how they can do that when we still have hope left that our loved one can still be found,” Khatri said Wednesday.

During her search, she has also checked photographs of bodies recovered from the floods and buried for preservation until they can be identified.

“Either they have to give up the body or show some solid proof that my husband is gone and then only they can declare him dead,” she said.

Other families have welcomed the decision, saying they now want the government to issue death certificates.

“After so many days and weeks there is little or no hope of finding anyone alive. We are sure that none of our family members survived and we are just looking for a closure,” said Nirajan Poudel, who lost five family members in the floods.

Several families whose relatives remain missing have also performed symbolic funerals. Cremation is an important final rite in Hindu tradition, and performing the ceremony without a body can provide a sense of spiritual release for some families.

Poudel said the government has so far refused to issue death certificates, saying the law must first be amended. Such certificates are required for families to receive compensation and insurance benefits and to inherit property.

The Nepalese government did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press for information about the death certificates.

Legal experts said a key challenge was determining how many people had been swept away by the floods.

“There is more to do with practical complications than legal provisions,” Supreme Court lawyer Hardik Subedi said. “The process has not been initiated that facilitates the death certificate.”