Nepal flood toll reaches 1,388; 5,130 remain missing
NDRRMA figures reported on September 13 put the death toll from the August 26 floods at 1,388. Only 104 bodies have been identified and handed to families.
The August 26 floods affected communities along Nepal’s Bhote Koshi–Trishuli river system.
Nepal’s August 26 floods have killed 1,388 people, according to figures attributed to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). Another 5,130 people remain unaccounted for, while 13,728 have been rescued.
The toll includes 1,386 bodies recovered from eight districts and two people who died while receiving treatment in Kathmandu. Only 104 of the recovered bodies had been identified and handed over to families. The numbers are reported through NDRRMA-attributed updates; the authority’s underlying September 13 bulletin was not available in the material reviewed.
The flooding moved through the Bhote Koshi–Trishuli river system, affecting Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, Nawalparasi East and Nawalparasi West. Officials and scientists say an ice, rock and soil mass failure near the Nepal-China border is the leading explanation. An avalanche and debris lake may have blocked the river for 18–19 hours before breaching, according to a rapid scientific assessment. The cause remains provisional, and a seismic link has not been established.
The disaster has produced a death toll, a missing-person figure and an investigation into the trigger. The paperwork, naturally, is still catching up with the water.