Kathmandu, Nov 7: Nepal on Saturday released details of 2,294 nationals from 32 districts, along with 171 foreign nationals from seven countries, who went missing after a devastating flood hit the Himalayan nation on August 26.
The move comes a month after the government ended the 40-day search and rescue operation for victims of the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli floods, which killed at least 1,455 people and left 5,285 missing, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
The authority said the list includes only those whose missing status has been verified by the respective District Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees. No further details were available about the remaining missing people who were not named in Saturday’s list.
The disaster management authority requested that if any individual listed as missing is found to be alive or has been located, they — or their immediate family members — should submit a claim within seven days.
The highest number of missing Nepali nationals, 1,538, are from Rasuwa district, according to the list released by the NDRRMA.
The NDRRMA has also released details of 171 missing foreign nationals from seven countries, excluding India. The authority’s website has the complete list.
Among them, 54 are from Malaysia and Ukraine, 33 from Australia, 11 from Russia, nine from South Korea, eight from Germany and two from Italy.
The NDRRMA said it had not yet received a confirmed list of missing Indian nationals from the Indian Embassy.
The list of missing Nepali nationals was prepared based on recommendations from the local governments where they had permanent residence and subsequently approved by the respective District Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees.
For missing foreign nationals, the information was obtained through the Department of Consular Services and diplomatic missions based in Nepal or those designated to oversee the country, the authority said.
The NDRRMA will issue a revised notice after receiving details from district administration offices across the 32 districts and relevant diplomatic missions on missing foreign nationals.
Nepal ended the 40-day search-and-rescue operation for victims of the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli floods on October 5, shifting its focus to rehabilitation and reconstruction in the affected areas.
The flash floods originated near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26 and devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal.
The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.
