Kathmandu, Sorrow and grief have covered Nepal as the death toll from catastrophic flash floods has crossed 1,243. With thousands of people still missing under mud, water, and thick debris, heartbroken families have started performing symbolic final rites and cremation ceremonies for their loved ones. The disaster started after a massive ice-rock avalanche hit near the Nepal-Tibet border, triggering sudden floods along rivers like the Bhotekoshi. Entire villages, roads, bridges, and power plants were washed away within minutes.
Search teams from the Nepali Army, police, and foreign experts are working continuously to save people trapped in flooded tunnels and collapsed buildings. However, continuous rainfall, mudslides, and damaged roads are making search operations very difficult. As days pass without any news, grieving families at the famous Pashupati Aryaghat in Kathmandu are making grass effigies to perform symbolic last rites. "We cannot wait forever. We have lost all hope of finding their bodies," said a relative weeping at the riverbank.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah called this severe disaster a direct warning of global climate change. Meanwhile, local police have set up special help camps to collect DNA samples from family members to help identify the victims.
