2 hrs ago

Nepal Families Perform Last Rites as Flood Toll Surpasses 1,200

Flash floods in Nepal swept away homes and many people.

Some families still do not know whether their loved ones survived.

Because they have had no contact for several days, they are beginning to pray for them as if they died.

Families gathered at a monastery in Trishuli for Buddhist prayers and last rites.

One man, Tishung Ghale, said many of his relatives disappeared.

He estimated that 42 people connected to his family’s area were lost.

The disaster has claimed at least 1,204 recovered bodies.

Officials also reported 4,216 people missing and 11,993 people rescued.

Search and rescue efforts are still continuing.

Key facts

Recovered bodies: 1,204, according to a later Nepal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority update.
People missing: 4,216 in the later update; the article earlier described the number as more than 4,200.
People rescued: 11,993, according to the later update.
Ghale family-area losses: About 42 people connected to the place where his family had been staying were reported missing by Ghale.
Wider-area estimate: Ghale estimated that more than 400 people from the wider area had disappeared.
Religious ritual: Residents gathered at a Buddhist monastery, or Gumba, to pray for the souls of those feared dead.

thestatesman.com · 2 hrs ago