On Monday, Nepalis observed the traditional Hindu final mourning day to honor the hundreds who lost their lives in a devastating flood near the border with China. Search and rescue teams remain active after four individuals were saved in recent days.
Government offices across Nepal, a Hindu-majority country with a population of 30 million, as well as diplomatic missions abroad, lowered the national flag to half-mast to mark the 13th day following the tragedy. This day holds special significance for the faithful, who perform rituals and offer food to commemorate the deceased.
The disaster was triggered on August 26 when a glacier broke off, causing a massive wall of mud and rock to collapse into a river along the Himalayan border between Nepal and China’s Tibet region. The resulting mudslide swept away entire towns and villages, burying roads and highways under thick layers of debris.
At least 1,380 people have been confirmed dead, while more than 5,500 remain missing. Recent rescue efforts in Nepal have led to the recovery of four survivors, including a Chinese national pulled from a tunnel on Saturday, two hydropower workers rescued from another tunnel on Friday, and a Nepali woman extracted from her buried home on Saturday.
Rescue operations are concentrated around hydropower stations in the affected region, where authorities believe survivors may still be trapped, army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet. Meanwhile, Chinese officials reported recovering 12 additional bodies on Sunday as search efforts continue in Tibet for hundreds still unaccounted for.
Despite the significance of the mourning day, no large-scale ceremonies were planned due to ongoing rescue operations. Phanindra Paudel of the National Emergency Operation Centre stated that government programs were withheld to prioritize search and rescue activities.
President Ram Chandra Paudel, serving as the ceremonial head of state, visited the flood-affected areas on Monday to assess the damage firsthand, as confirmed by his aide.
In one of the hardest-hit districts, Nuwakot, security forces successfully relocated 923 prisoners to higher ground before floodwaters inundated their low-lying facility, Prime Minister Balendra Shah shared on social media. Additionally, authorities apprehended 50 inmates who had escaped by breaking prison walls and gates during the initial flooding but were caught within 100 meters.
