Nepal enters sixth day of rescue operations as hundreds of flood victims found far from disaster site

Nepal is now in its sixth day of large-scale rescue operations following devastating floods that struck the country's northern region. According to Nepal's disaster management authority data from August 30, 734 bodies have been recovered, while 2,498 people remain unaccounted for.

Bodies found far from the disaster zone

In Chitwan district, located a significant distance downstream from the areas initially hit hardest, hundreds of bodies have washed up along riverbanks — the district has recorded the highest number of dead so far, 259. Many bodies are too severely damaged for visual identification, so DNA samples are being collected for comparison with relatives of missing people. Each burial is being carefully documented to allow future identification.

Schools damaged, children missing

Nepal's Ministry of Education reports that the floods severely damaged educational institutions in the worst-hit districts, with early reports citing more than 200 missing students. A newer assessment by Save the Children found at least 69 schools damaged or destroyed, affecting nearly 19,000 children. The government has closed schools for several days and suspended university exams.

Hundreds feared trapped underground

A particularly complex situation has developed at hydropower facilities. Contact was lost with nearly 900 workers across nine hydropower projects after the disaster; some were later rescued, but 537 remained missing. The most critical case is the 216-megawatt Upper Trishuli-1 project, where 254 of an initial 576 unreachable workers have been rescued, while around 300 are believed still trapped in an underground tunnel. At the Upper Trishuli 3A plant, rescuers have drilled openings to pump air into the tunnel and found a cable access tunnel that could provide a route to trapped workers, though no response signal has been received from inside.

Families wait for news

Relatives of the missing are gathering near rescue sites, expressing both hope and growing frustration over the pace of operations. Survivors have described losing family members, homes and livelihoods in the disaster. Damaged infrastructure and unpredictable weather are complicating rescue work, which involves thousands of army, police and other personnel along with helicopters and drones.

Regarding Latvian nationals, it was previously reported that three Latvians in Nepal were unharmed by a flood-triggered mudslide, while 33 Latvians remain listed as missing.