Nepal Observes National Day of Mourning after Flash Flood Disaster
In a solemn ceremony on Monday, Nepalis lit candles to mark the last day of the traditional 13‑day Hindu mourning period for the victims of a flash flood that surged through the Himalayan valley on the border with Tibet. Flags flew at half‑mast and candle‑lighting vigils were set for the evening.
At least 1,287 people have died in the disaster, believed to have been triggered by a glacial collapse. Over the past two weeks, more than 5,000 are still missing, and rescue teams continue to scour the flooded villages.
In a statement to Reuters, Phanindra Paudel of the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) said no government programmes would be held as the search and rescue operation is still ongoing. President Ram Chandra Paudel toured the devastated areas and the home ministry confirmed that all government offices and overseas missions would fly the national flag at half‑mast.
Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet told AFP that the rescue work would proceed at the same pace as day one, focusing on on‑ground, aerial and tunnel searches to ensure no one remains stranded. Among the success stories, the tunnels that form part of the region’s hydropower stations offered a glimmer of hope, with hundreds of workers among the missing.
Australian tunnel‑rescue expert Arnold Dix, advising Nepali teams, noted that “multiple potential rescues,” unfolding simultaneously in different places, each presented its own dangers and uncertainties but promised the possibility of saving lives.
In recent days, four people were rescued—three from hydropower station tunnels. On Saturday, a 64‑year‑old Nepali woman was pulled from her house that was buried by a wall of ice, rock and mud, and air‑lifted to a hospital in Kathmandu. On Sunday rescue teams recovered twelve bodies at the Nepal‑Tibet border, using excavators, shovels and ground‑penetrating radar.
As of now, at least 5,083 people remain missing in Nepal. On the Tibetan side, Chinese media reported 31 deaths and 531 unaccounted for.
