Nepal ends search and rescue for August floods, shifts focus to reconstruction
Version 2: A third outlet, CBS NoCut News, has corroborated the end of search and rescue and added that 13,795 people were rescued; no other substantive facts changed.
In short
Nepal has officially ended search and rescue operations for the mega-flood that began on 26 August, more than 40 days after the disaster, with at least 1,455 people dead and about 5,285 still missing. Authorities say they are starting the process to declare the missing legally dead so families can complete insurance and bank procedures, and estimate about $5bn (6.7 trillion won) is needed for reconstruction.
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Nepal has ended the search and rescue operation for the flooding that began on 26 August, more than 40 days after the disaster, and is shifting its focus to reconstruction. Hankook Ilbo reported that the decision was taken at a meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council chaired by Prime Minister Balendra Shah, while Yonhap and CBS NoCut News also reported the end of operations. At least 1,455 people died and about 5,285 remain missing, according to the outlets. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Hankook Ilbo said the government based the decision on recommendations from district security committees, district disaster management committees and the executive committee of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDRRMA), along with field surveys, after the prospect of finding survivors had become remote. “We are moving from the search and rescue stage to the search and rehabilitation stage,” Phanindra Poudel, head of the National Emergency Operation Centre, told Reuters. Yonhap quoted him saying “we are beginning the appropriate process to conclude legal measures” for the missing. [ 1 , 2 ]
Authorities are considering a legal declaration of death for the missing so that families and relatives can complete insurance, bank and other legal procedures. NDRRMA chief Daram Raj Uprety said authorities would no longer actively search for bodies, but that remains, property or other valuables found during recovery would be collected, and emergency rescue operations could still be carried out if needed. Hankook Ilbo reported that Prime Minister Shah instructed agencies to accelerate reconstruction and recovery work. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Yonhap reported that the flooding, which occurred on 26 August in the Himalayan region on Nepal's border with China's Tibet region, also damaged 12 hydropower projects under construction and destroyed roads, bridges, farms and housing. The government says about $5bn (6.7 trillion won) is needed to rebuild collapsed villages and support thousands of displaced residents. CBS NoCut News reported that 13,795 people had been rescued, a figure the other outlets did not give. [ 2 , 3 ]
To reduce flood risk, authorities plan to drain four glacial lakes, located between 4,050 and 5,483 metres above sea level, into nearby rivers. Yonhap reported the drainage work could take up to eight years. The outlet also reported that nearly 600 floods and landslides have occurred in Nepal since 22 September, after the August mega-flood, and that climate change has made the weather increasingly volatile in recent years. [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
With hopes of finding survivors gone, Nepal is redirecting resources from rescue to rebuilding villages and supporting thousands of displaced residents, at a cost the government puts at about $5bn. The move also pushes thousands of families toward legal proceedings that can only conclude once missing relatives are declared dead, while authorities plan glacial-lake drainage work that could take up to eight years to reduce the risk of repeat disasters.
Key facts
- Nepal ended search and rescue operations for the mega-flood that began on 26 August, more than 40 days after the disaster, and is moving to a reconstruction phase. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- At least 1,455 people died and about 5,285 remain missing, according to figures reported by the outlets. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Authorities are considering or have begun procedures to declare the missing legally dead so families can complete insurance, bank and other legal steps. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Officials said they will no longer actively search for bodies but will collect remains and valuables found during reconstruction, and can still carry out emergency rescue if needed. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- About $5bn (6.7 trillion won) is needed for reconstruction and support to displaced residents, the government says. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Twelve hydropower projects under construction were damaged, and roads, bridges, farms and housing were destroyed. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Authorities plan to drain four glacial lakes, located between 4,050 and 5,483 metres above sea level, into nearby rivers; the work could take up to eight years. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Nepal ended search and rescue operations for the August mega-flood and is moving into a reconstruction phase. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- At least 1,455 people died and about 5,285 remain missing in the flooding. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Authorities are considering or have started legal procedures to declare missing people dead so their families can complete insurance and bank procedures. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Officials said they will not actively search for bodies but will collect remains and valuables found during reconstruction, and can still mount emergency rescue operations if needed. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Reconstruction and recovery after the flood is estimated to require about $5bn (6.7 trillion won). [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The flooding damaged 12 hydropower projects under construction and destroyed roads, bridges, farms and housing. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Authorities plan to drain four glacial lakes between 4,050 and 5,483 metres above sea level into nearby rivers, work that could take up to eight years. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- CBS NoCut News reported that 13,795 people had been rescued from the flooding. Only one document gives this figure; the other two outlets do not mention the number of people rescued.
- Prime Minister Balendra Shah chaired the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council meeting that decided to end the search, according to Hankook Ilbo. Only one document names the prime minister in connection with the decision; the others do not mention him.
- The final death toll and whether more victims are expected to be found. All outlets report figures as of publication and none says whether the toll may rise.
- The full list of districts affected by the flooding. Hankook Ilbo shows a village swept away in the Nuwakot area and Yonhap describes the Himalayan region on Nepal's border with China's Tibet region, but the outlets do not give a complete list of affected districts.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- A mega-flood hits Nepal's Himalayan region on the border with China's Tibet region; at least one village in the Nuwakot area is swept away. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- From this date, nearly 600 floods and landslides are recorded in Nepal, according to Yonhap. [ 2 ]
- A National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Balendra Shah decides to end search and rescue; the head of the national emergency operations centre announces the shift to a search and rehabilitation stage. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Hankook Ilbo publishes its report on the decision. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap publishes its report on the decision. [ 2 ]
- CBS NoCut News publishes its report on the decision. [ 3 ]