Nepal Ends Search And Rescue Operation After August Floods That Killed 1,455

Nepal has ended its search and rescue operation for people still missing after devastating floods in August that killed at least 1,455 people, officials said on Monday.

At least 5,285 people remained missing after the August 26 floods, which originated along Nepal’s border with China’s Tibet region. Another 13,795 people were rescued, officials said.

“We are moving from the search and rescue phase to the search and rehabilitation phase,” Phanindra Paudel, chief of Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Centre, told Reuters.

Authorities are now considering the legal process for declaring those still missing dead, allowing their families and relatives to complete insurance, banking and other legal formalities.

“We are initiating due processes to complete required legal formalities,” Paudel said.

Authorities Shift Focus To Rehabilitation

Dharam Raj Uprety, chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said authorities would no longer conduct active searches for bodies.

However, officials will recover any human remains, property or valuables discovered during rehabilitation efforts, he said. Emergency rescue operations will continue if required.

The floods caused widespread destruction, damaging or destroying 12 hydropower projects, roads, bridges, farmland and settlements.

Nepalese authorities have estimated that nearly $5 billion will be required for the early recovery and rehabilitation of thousands of people displaced by the disaster.