Nepal’s death toll from the devastating flash floods has risen to 1,295 after more bodies were recovered from several affected areas. Rescue and relief operations continue as authorities search for people still missing.
In a major rescue operation, two men were pulled alive from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project in central Nepal. They had been trapped inside for nine days after a flash flood swept through the Trishuli River corridor. One of the rescued men said he repeatedly chanted the “Hare Krishna” mantra while waiting for help. He was rescued on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami.
Meanwhile, the Nepal government has announced a special relief package for businesses affected by the Bhotekoshi floods. The package includes concessions, loan restructuring and access to cheaper credit. Authorities have also begun efforts to relocate settlements that were destroyed by the floods, as reconstruction and rehabilitation work gets underway.
In the United States, families of American nationals who remain missing after the floods have written to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They have appealed for expanded rescue and search operations to locate their relatives. The rising death toll and continuing searches highlight the scale of the disaster, with rescue operations, relief measures and efforts to trace missing people still underway across Nepal.
