Burying The Dead
Nepal was burying on Monday some of the hundreds of bodies retrieved after a deadly, tsunami-like flood crashed through the Himalayan region, sweeping away villages and leaving thousands still missing. Distraught families have packed rescue stations and hospitals in search of their missing relatives, while others have faced the grim task of identifying bodies at overflowing morgues.
The huge wave of ice, rocks and debris that smashed into villages and towns on Wednesday claimed at least 797 lives in both Nepal and Tibet. At least 3'048 people remain missing, including many tourists and pilgrims to Tibet's sacred Mount Kailash. There are also 933 workers at hydropower plants among those unaccounted for in Nepal. China has put the death toll in Tibet at 16, with 546 missing.
Tunnel rescue
Nepali army troops and engineers drilled through debris on Sunday towards workers believed trapped in a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site after successfully inserting a pipe into the passage. Workers who managed to get out described horrifying scenes. "We heard a very loud sound and saw that the turbine floor was submerged with slush, and six workers were stuck in that," said Surendra Dowluri, 33, from India's Andhra Pradesh state. "We managed to rescue five of them, but one person lost his life."
DNA samples
Overwhelmed by the number of bodies and without proper freezing facilities, Nepali authorities have had to begin burials before completing the identification process. Officials said DNA samples were taken from the bodies so that families could later claim them and perform traditional funeral rites. Grieving relatives gathered at identification centres to watch LED screens showing pictures of retrieved bodies, occasionally closing their eyes when the grim exercise overwhelmed them.
The disaster was caused by a glacial collapse, sending a wall of water and debris downstream, the US Geological Survey said. Overnight rain and rising river waters hampered rescue operations on Sunday, filling the excavation area with water before conditions eased.