Kathmandu [Nepal], September 1 – Thirteen bodies swept downstream from Nepal following last week’s devastating floods have been recovered in Kushinagar district of India’s Uttar Pradesh, Indian officials said.
The bodies are believed to have travelled through the Narayani-Gandak river system into Uttar Pradesh. Of the 13 bodies recovered so far, six are men and seven are women.
District administration officials and teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have intensified monitoring along the Narayani River and are recovering bodies whenever they are found. Animal carcasses and remains swept downstream from Nepal have also been discovered in the river.
Six of the recovered bodies have been kept in deep freezers at the mortuary of Kushinagar Medical College while the remaining seven have been sent to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Gorakhpur.
Authorities said the identification process is underway. Kushinagar Acting District Magistrate Vandita Srivastava said the bodies were being preserved in accordance with established protocols.
She said the bodies would be handed over to the Nepali authorities after post-mortem examinations and other necessary procedures are completed.
The Kushinagar district administration is also sharing details of the recovered bodies with the Nepal government through India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
Officials said coordination with Nepal is continuing to identify the deceased and facilitate the return of their remains to their families.
The development comes as Nepal continues to deal with the aftermath of the devastating flood, which caused widespread casualties and destruction in several districts.
