Nepal Ends Search and Rescue Operations After Devastating Floods

More Than 5,200 Still Missing, Death Toll Rises to 1,455.

Nepal has ended active search and rescue operations nearly six weeks after devastating floods killed at least 1,455 people, while 5,285 people remain missing.

The floods, which originated near Nepal’s border with China’s Tibet region on August 26, triggered a massive rescue operation during which 13,795 people were rescued.

Authorities will no longer actively search for the bodies of those still missing. However, any human remains, property or valuables discovered during rehabilitation and recovery work will be recovered and handed over as required.

Phanindra Paudel, Chief of Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Centre, said, “We are moving from the search and rescue phase to the search and rehabilitation phase.”

Authorities have also begun the process of legally declaring those still missing as dead, allowing their families to complete insurance, banking and other legal formalities.

The floods also destroyed 12 hydropower projects, along with roads, bridges, farmland and settlements. Nepalese authorities estimate that nearly $5 billion will be required for early recovery and rehabilitation efforts.