Nepal held a day of mourning on Monday, with government offices lowering flags and families concluding traditional mourning rituals for those who perished in floods that struck on August 26.
The disaster has claimed more than 1,300 lives in Nepal and Tibet, leaving approximately 5,000 people unaccounted for, including foreign nationals, according to Nepal's disaster management agency. In Hindu tradition, the mourning period lasts 13 days, culminating in rituals to pray for the departed.
Many families whose loved ones remain missing have performed symbolic funerals. In Hindu customs, cremation is a significant final rite, and for some, performing this ceremony without the bodies offers a sense of spiritual closure.
The search for hundreds still missing is ongoing, with a particular focus on 12 hydropower projects. Authorities report that around 900 workers are missing from these sites, and approximately 500 are believed to be trapped in tunnels. Specialized rescue teams from India, China, South Korea, and the United States are sifting through debris and damaged structures in hopes of finding survivors. Rescuers located a Chinese national at a power plant on Saturday, following the rescue of two Nepalese workers on Friday.