Nepal Flood Death Toll Reaches 1,114 as Workers Remain Trapped Underground

By Staff, Agencies

Mud and water have almost completely blocked hydropower tunnels in flood-hit northern Nepal, complicating efforts to reach more than 600 workers feared trapped underground, Prime Minister Balendra Shah told parliament.

Shah said floodwaters had carried large amounts of mud and soil into tunnels along the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli corridor last week, creating an unusually difficult rescue environment. Nearly 4,000 people remain missing as search and rescue operations continue eight days after the floods.

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said Wednesday that the death toll had reached 1,114, while nearly 12,000 people have been rescued.

As hopes fade for recovering the remains of missing relatives, some families have begun holding symbolic funerals.

Authorities are also conducting mass burials of unidentified victims after morgues reached capacity. Bodies are being buried with identification markers after DNA samples are collected to facilitate future identification.

Nepal's total morgue capacity is only 350. Rescue teams need weather conditions to improve and the mud to dry sufficiently before stable areas can be created for personnel and equipment, Shah said, adding that the tunnels offer limited space for deploying heavy machinery needed to remove mud and rocks.