Nepal’s Flood Catastrophe Worsens: 616 Dead, Morgues Run Out of Space as Bodies Wash up Downstream
Authorities are using temporary cold-storage facilities as hospitals struggle to hold remains and more than 2,500 people remain missing, officials said.
- As Nepal's flood death toll reached 616 on Saturday, authorities scrambled to establish temporary storage facilities for mortal remains, with more than 2,500 people still reported missing.
- The nation's morgues, which have a combined capacity for roughly 350 bodies, are overwhelmed as floodwaters carry remains far downstream to districts like Chitwan and Pokhara.
- Bharatpur Metropolitan City-10 is converting an unused Industrial Enterprise Development Institute building into a temporary facility to store around 250 bodies, with Chief District Officer Ganesh Aryal overseeing climate control installations.
- Following the Unidentified and Unclaimed Bodies Management Guidelines, 2021, police are collecting DNA samples and fingerprints, while Superintendent of Police Rameshwor Paudel noted that relatives identify remains via photographs.
- International assistance continues as an Indian medical and tunnel-rescue team arrived Friday with 10 tonnes of supplies, though officials warned the situation remains "increasingly difficult" as bodies continue arriving.
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In neighboring India, seven bodies have been pulled from rivers flowing through Nepal, as rains complicate helicopter rescues.
Morgues running out of space and difficulty in identifying bodies: Nepal's new crisis as deaths mount
In just four days after the tragedy, the deaths have crossed the 600-mark in Nepal, but it is expected to rise further, as authorities recover more bodies. However, hospitals and morgues are now running out of space to store the mortal remains, as identification of bodies has also become difficult.
Dearth of space in morgues as death toll continues to rise after Nepal-Tibet flash flood
The Bhotekoshi flood swept bodies downstream across Nepal, overwhelming nationwide morgues. Authorities set up temporary storage facilities in Chitwan and Pokhara, photographing, fingerprinting, and collecting DNA from recovered victims to help families identify and claim their missing relatives amid severe space shortages.
Two days after the flood disaster in Nepal and Tibet, the death toll is expected to rise further. Relief efforts are hampered by extensive damage to roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. Mortuaries are struggling to recover all the fatalities.
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