Nepal search for missing after flash floods officially ends, with nearly 5,300 people still unaccounted for
While many families are upset by decision, others need death certificates for insurance, other purposes
The families of thousands of people who remain missing in Nepal weeks after catastrophic floods devastated the country have expressed mixed feelings after the government said this week that it is stopping the search for victims.
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it → miss → victims
The office of Prime Minister Balendra Shah decided on Monday that search and rescue operations for victims of the Aug. 26 floods will cease.
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operations → decide → floods
Instead, authorities will concentrate on rehabilitation and reconstruction, including restoring roads and bridges cut off by floods, particularly in remote areas where damaged infrastructure has made aid deliveries difficult.
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deliveries → concentrate → areas
Rescuers have so far recovered the bodies of at least 1,455 people, but 5,285 others remain missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals.
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others → recover → nationals
Two weeks ago, Global Affairs Canada told CBC News that it was aware of 29 Canadians and permanent residents in Nepal and the Tibet autonomous region whose whereabouts and well-being after the flash floods have not yet been confirmed, but cautioned that the number could fluctuate based on new information.
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number → tell → information
CBC News has requested an update from the department, but did not immediately hear back.
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News → request → department
Hopes for finding survivors were briefly revived after two Nepalese workers were rescued from an underground tunnel at the Trishuli hydropower project on Sept. 4, and again two days later when rescuers found a Chinese man at the same location.
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rescuers → find → location
Families of victims have held protests and vigils in Nepal, calling for search efforts to be improved.
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efforts → hold → Nepal
"I am so angry at the government for giving up on search and rescue with thousands of people still missing.
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thousands → give → people
I just don't understand how they can do that when we still have hope left that our loved one can still be found," said Usha Khatri, who has spent days searching for her husband in multiple towns where the river flows and bodies have been recovered.
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bodies → understand → towns
A general view on Sept. 28 shows damaged houses covered in sludge in the aftermath of the Aug. 26 flash flood, at Betrawati Bazaar in Nepal's Rasuwa district.
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view → show → district
During her ongoing search, she has checked photos of bodies that were recovered but buried for preservation until identification is made.
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identification → check → preservation
"Either they have to give up the body or show some solid proof that my husband is gone, and only then can they declare him dead," Khatri said.
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Khatri → have → proof
"They have abandoned us and they should not have stopped the search," said Mahesh Shrestha, whose brother was an engineer at a hydropower plant that was hit.
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that → abandon → plant
"Our family demands they continue looking for him."
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they → demand → him
Others welcomed the decision and said they are seeking government-issued death certificates.
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they → welcome → certificates
We are sure that none of our family members survived and we are just looking for a closure," said Nirajan Poudel, who lost five family members in the flood.
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who → survive → flood
Several people whose relatives remain missing have performed symbolic funerals.
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relatives → remain → funerals
Cremation is an important final rite in the Hindu tradition and performing the ceremony even without a body provides a sense of spiritual release for some families.
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performing → perform → families
Poudel said the government has so far refused to issue death certificates, saying laws need to be amended first.
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laws → say → certificates
Death certificates are necessary in Nepal for families to receive compensation, insurance and inherit properties.
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families → receive → properties
Nepal's government did not immediately respond to a request by The Associated Press for more information about the death certificates.
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government → respond → certificates
The government estimates reconstruction and recovery will cost $4.77 billion US.
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reconstruction → estimate → US
Nearly 33,000 people have been affected and about 7,500 homes were damaged or destroyed.
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homes → affect → ?
The Aporia
