Archive · 3 Sep 2026
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.
Families in Trishuli are performing prayers and last rites for relatives still missing after flash floods.
Nepal’s disaster toll has reached 1,204 recovered bodies, according to a later NDRRMA update.
The update reported 4,216 people missing and 11,993 rescued, differing from an earlier figure of more than 4,200 missing.
Tishung Ghale said around 42 people connected to his family’s area were swept away, with more than 400 missing in the wider area.
Buddhist residents gathered at a monastery to pray for the souls of people feared dead.
- Who
- Families and residents in Nepal, including Tishung Ghale and Bom Bahadur Tamang, are mourning missing relatives.
- What
- Flash floods swept away homes and people, prompting families to perform prayers and last rites for those still missing.
- When
- After at least seven days without contact for some relatives; the latest update cited in the report recorded 1,204 recovered bodies.
- Where
- Trishuli and Rasuwa in Nepal, including a monastery where prayers were held.
- Why
- Families fear their missing relatives died and are seeking peace for their souls while search and rescue operations continue.
- 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.