Kathmandu [Nepal], September 1 – Seventeen bodies believed to be victims of the devastating flash flood in Nepal have been recovered from the Gandak river in India’s Uttar Pradesh as more than 2,500 people remain missing and the death toll has crossed 900.
Thirteen bodies were recovered from Khadda and Tamkuhi Raj tehsils in Kushinagar district including four found on Monday. Four others were recovered from Nichlaul tehsil in Maharajganj district on August 27.
The four unidentified bodies recovered in Maharajganj were handed over to Nepalese authorities on Monday after mandatory procedures were completed. Officials said DNA samples were collected during post-mortem examinations to help establish their identities.
The bodies were transported by ambulance and handed over to the Nawalparasi administration at the Maheshpur border near Thuthibari.
In Kushinagar six more unidentified bodies are expected to be handed over to Nepalese authorities on Tuesday after completion of the mandatory 72-hour preservation period.
The August 26 flash floods in Nepal’s Rasuwa district are believed to have been triggered by a rock and ice avalanche in the upper reaches of the Bhotekoshi River whose lower course is also known as the Trishuli.
The Gandak River flows through India’s Maharajganj, Kushinagar and Deoria districts before entering Bihar.
NDRF, SDRF and Provincial Armed Constabulary flood battalion teams along with local authorities and police, are continuing search operations along the river and coordinating with Nepalese officials to identify the deceased.
