The death toll from massive flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border has surpassed 1,100, with Nepali officials announcing Wednesday that the government will shift its focus toward rehabilitation.
As of Wednesday morning, 1,114 bodies had been recovered in Nepal, an increase from the previous day's count of 1,003, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. The number of missing persons remained at 3,916. In the week since the floods, which destroyed towns and swept away structures, many more individuals have been recorded as injured.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah of Nepal detailed his government's efforts to locate those still missing, expressing gratitude to local and international organizations for their support. "We are moving forward from search, rescue and relief distribution to rehabilitation after the devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa," Shah stated in a social media post.
More than 21,000 security personnel, including national police, army, and armed police forces, have been deployed to assist in search and rescue operations. The Nepal Police reported that a team was conducting operations in Timure, a flood-affected area in Rasuwa. Emergency responders have provided medical treatment to at least 4,070 people across several districts.
In China, state-affiliated media reported that Chinese officials stated approximately 546 people were missing and 16 had died on their side of the border.
Prime Minister Shah highlighted the widespread destruction, noting that at least 48 suspension bridges were damaged, with 28 requiring complete replacement. Roads, villages, and buildings were also lost, and details of the damage are being collected by helicopter and on foot. The government has allocated approximately 1 billion Nepali rupees, about $6.5 million, to aid in the rebuilding of affected areas.
"This is not only the suffering of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. It is a shared blow to the heart of the entire country," Shah told legislators on Wednesday.
The U.S. State Department reported Tuesday that it was tracking approximately 75 Americans unaccounted for in the Nepal-Tibet cross-border region, with 14 having reached safety. Some relatives have begun holding symbolic funerals for those still missing, adhering to Nepali Hindu rites.
