Nepal on Wednesday sharply revised the number of people missing in the August 26 floods to 6,150 from the earlier figure of 5,179, adding nearly 1,000 names following fresh verification across the affected districts.
The revised figures came as rescue teams recovered 10 bodies from two hydropower projects in Rasuwa district, three weeks after the devastating floods. Five bodies each were recovered from the Chilime and Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower projects.
“We have been collecting details on the missing people from the district offices, and revised the data after verification,” said Shanti Mahat, spokesperson for Nepal’s disaster authority.
Nepal’s updated figures put the death toll at 1,403, with 6,150 people still reported missing. In neighbouring Tibet, 43 people have died and 519 remain missing. The combined toll across the two regions now stands at 1,446 deaths and at least 6,669 missing people. At least 189 Indians are among those reported missing.
Five bodies recovered at Chilime
At the Chilime hydropower project, five bodies were recovered after specialised Indian Army personnel and Nepali rescuers reached the underground powerhouse. Rescue teams had to dig through the final stretch by hand after excavators and wheel loaders could no longer make progress.
Six workers were believed to have been trapped inside the facility, and the search continued for the remaining worker.
There had been a brief rise in hopes of finding survivors after engineer Shriram Neupane reported hearing what appeared to be voices or echoes from deeper inside the tunnel. “We are expecting some good news,” Neupane said on Monday as rescue teams worked their way towards the powerhouse.
Rastriya Swatantra Party MP and engineer Sagar Dhakal, who had spent several days working alongside the rescue teams, described the difficult operation and his efforts to assist the rescuers.
“I tried my best as an MP, engineer, Nepali and a normal human being, leaving no stone unturned,” Dhakal said, adding that he carried heavy loads and worked as a labourer wherever required.
Five bodies found at Upper Trishuli-1
At the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project, another five bodies were recovered from a tunnel on Wednesday as joint search and rescue operations continued.
Rasuwa Assistant Chief District Officer Druba Prasad Adhikari said the bodies were discovered inside the Audit-3 tunnel by a joint team from the Nepali Army and the hydropower project.
The recovery operations at both sites have highlighted the challenges faced by rescuers working inside underground facilities damaged by the floods. Teams continue to search the affected areas for those still missing, while authorities are revising the casualty figures as information from individual districts is verified.
