Nepal has begun burying some of the hundreds of victims recovered after a devastating, tsunami-like surge of water, ice, rocks and debris swept through Himalayan communities, leaving thousands of people missing.
The disaster has killed at least 797 people across Nepal and Tibet in China, with fears that some bodies may have been carried downstream into India.
At least 3,048 people remain missing, including tourists and pilgrims travelling to Tibet’s sacred Mount Kailash. Hundreds of workers at hydropower projects in Nepal are also unaccounted for.
The scale of the disaster has overwhelmed rescue teams, hospitals and morgues, leaving grieving families desperately searching for relatives while authorities struggle to identify the dead.
Rescue teams race to find survivors
Nepali army troops and engineers continued rescue operations on Sunday, drilling through tonnes of debris towards workers believed to be trapped inside a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric project.
Rescuers successfully inserted a pipe into the passage in an effort to reach those trapped inside.
Survivors have described scenes of destruction as floodwaters carrying huge amounts of mud and debris swept through hydropower sites and nearby settlements.
Surendra Dowluri, a 33-year-old worker from India’s Andhra Pradesh state, said he was working at the Upper Trishuli-1 project when the torrent struck.
“We heard a very loud sound… and saw that the turbine floor was submerged with slush, and six workers were stuck in that,” Dowluri said after being rescued in Kathmandu.
Five workers were rescued, but one died, he said.
Heavy overnight rain and rising river levels also complicated rescue efforts, with water flooding excavation areas before conditions improved.
DNA testing begins as morgues overflow
Authorities are struggling to cope with the number of bodies recovered from the disaster.
With morgues overwhelmed and inadequate refrigeration facilities available, Nepali authorities have begun burying some victims before their identities have been confirmed.
Officials are collecting DNA samples from the bodies so that relatives can later identify them and carry out traditional funeral rites.
At identification centres, distraught families have gathered around screens displaying photographs of recovered bodies, hoping to find clues about missing loved ones.
Shobha Adhikary was among those searching for a childhood friend.
“It looks like him, for sure,” she told a local coordinator after seeing a photograph of a smiling, middle-aged man.
Her friend Rajkumar and his wife, Geeta, have both been missing since the disaster.
Glacial collapse triggered devastating flood
The US Geological Survey said the disaster was caused by a glacial collapse that unleashed a massive wall of water and debris downstream.
The torrent also contributed to the formation of large lakes, creating additional risks for rescue teams and communities in the affected areas.
In Tibet, Chinese rescuers near a border port devastated by a mudslide were moved to safety after another landslide caused a new lake to form, according to Chinese state media.
China has reported 16 deaths in Tibet and 546 people missing.
In Nepal, authorities reported 781 confirmed deaths and 2,502 people missing on the Nepalese side of the border.
Communities left with ‘nothing’
For survivors, the immediate challenge is rebuilding homes and livelihoods after entire communities were swept away.
“All the settlements near the river were swept away,” resident Buddhi Ram Dangol told AFP in Nepal’s Nuwakot district.
“There is nothing left.”
The disaster has placed further pressure on Nepal’s already limited resources, prompting international governments and humanitarian organisations to pledge emergency assistance.
The United States and Canada have each pledged $3.6 million in humanitarian aid, while the United Kingdom has offered $6.8 million.
The United Nations has released $2.5 million in emergency funding, with further assistance pledged by the European Union, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and other organisations.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal warned that rebuilding could cost billions of dollars and appealed for specialised equipment, including heavy-lift drones and technology capable of locating people trapped beneath debris.
He also called for forensic testing kits and freezer units to help identify and preserve victims.
Climate change raises wider concerns
The catastrophe has also renewed concerns over the vulnerability of Himalayan communities to the effects of climate change.
Nepal is among the countries with the lowest per-capita carbon emissions, yet its location in the Himalayas leaves it highly exposed to the effects of a warming planet.
Glaciers across the region are melting rapidly as global temperatures rise, increasing the risk of glacial collapses, floods and other climate-related disasters.
Access to the disaster zone in Tibet has also remained difficult, with Chinese authorities providing the main information about rescue operations.
More than 2,100 personnel have reportedly joined search-and-rescue efforts in Tibet.
Chinese rescuers trying to reach Gyirong Port, identified as the epicentre of the disaster in Tibet, advanced only 285 metres on Sunday because of the difficult conditions. They still had about 1.25 kilometres to travel before reaching the affected site.
As rescue teams continue searching through mud, ice and debris, thousands of families across the Himalayas remain desperate for news of missing relatives.