Kathmandu: Thousands of people remain unaccounted for in Nepal three weeks after a devastating disaster triggered by an ice and rock avalanche, while rescue teams continue searching difficult areas and authorities work to identify recovered remains.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority says about 5,200 people, including 636 foreigners, remain unaccounted for. Nepal Police, however, reported on September 16 that 4,089 people remained on its official missing list. The difference reflects continuing efforts to reconcile information from different authorities.
Nepal Police said 1,403 bodies had been recovered as of September 16. A previous update had recorded 1,399 recovered bodies. The figures have continued to change as search teams recover remains from areas affected by the disaster.
The disaster struck on August 26 after an ice and rock avalanche associated with a glacial collapse triggered a huge flow of water, mud and debris. The resulting floods affected areas along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems and caused extensive damage to communities, roads, bridges and hydropower facilities.
Identifying the recovered remains remains one of the biggest challenges. According to figures from the national disaster authority cited in the latest reports, 105 bodies had been identified and handed over to families.
Nepal Police has continued collecting DNA samples to help identify victims. Its latest update said samples had been collected from 1,286 deceased people and 1,904 relatives of missing people.
The identification process is particularly difficult because many remains were recovered from areas covered by large quantities of debris. Nepal Police reported that earlier recovered remains included 519 partial remains, making visual identification difficult and increasing the importance of forensic testing.
Search operations are continuing around the affected river areas and hydropower facilities. Authorities are using drones, helicopters, rescue teams and specialist equipment to examine areas that are difficult to reach.
The mountainous terrain, extensive debris and restrictions on helicopter operations have slowed the search. Rescue teams have also continued examining tunnels and other structures at hydropower facilities where workers were reported missing.
The continuing operation has left many families waiting for definitive information about relatives who disappeared during the disaster. Relatives have been providing DNA samples to help authorities compare them with unidentified remains.
Nepal Police has also made arrangements for relatives living outside Nepal to provide DNA profiles through authorities in their countries of residence. These samples can then be compared with samples collected from recovered remains in Nepal.
The disaster affected both Nepali citizens and foreign nationals. The presence of foreign nationals among those reported missing has also required coordination with families and authorities outside Nepal.
The immediate cause of the disaster has been linked to an ice and rock avalanche following a glacial collapse near the Nepal China border. Scientists have also examined unusually warm conditions in the region before the collapse.
However, a direct causal link between climate change and this particular glacial collapse has not been established. Scientists continue to examine the factors that may have contributed to the instability.
The disaster has caused extensive damage beyond the loss of life. Roads and bridges were destroyed, communities were cut off and hydropower infrastructure was damaged, creating additional challenges for rescue and recovery operations.
The government and humanitarian agencies are now working on both the continuing search and the longer recovery process. More than three weeks after the disaster, however, the final human toll remains uncertain.
For thousands of families, the immediate priority is still to learn what happened to their missing relatives. As search and identification efforts continue, authorities are relying increasingly on forensic evidence to provide answers to those still waiting.