Mass Burials Commence in Nepal as Flood Fatalities Climb to 752

Authorities in Nepal announced on Sunday that they have commenced the burial of numerous bodies recovered following catastrophic floods. This measure comes after officials meticulously collected DNA samples and marked each deceased individual, enabling families to identify and reclaim their loved ones at a later time.

In a nation predominantly Hindu, where cremation on funeral pyres is the customary practice for the deceased, these burials are being implemented as a temporary storage solution until proper family retrieval can occur. Speaking to journalists, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai confirmed that a thorough record-keeping process is being followed for all buried victims. He also issued an urgent plea for global assistance, highlighting Nepal’s critical need for over one thousand freezer units to adequately preserve the multitude of bodies.

This decision to begin burials coincided with a grim update from Nepal’s disaster ministry on Sunday, which once again raised the official count of recovered bodies to 752, with an additional 2,502 individuals still reported missing. Among the missing are 589 foreign nationals whose whereabouts remain unknown. Previously, Chinese state media had reported 16 fatalities.

Rai elaborated to reporters, stating, “Adhering to established and recognised protocols, similar to those of the ICRC (Red Cross), the mortal remains of the deceased, particularly those that are unidentifiable, have been interred on a provisional basis.” He further clarified, “Before their burial, medical personnel collected DNA samples from each victim. This allows families to cross-reference later and grants them permission to exhumethe bodies for traditional rituals when appropriate.”

The sheer volume of bodies requiring safe storage has overwhelmed Nepal, leading the nation to issue a request for essential freezer storage units and DNA testing kits. “We have reached out to various nations seeking freezers; our requirement exceeds a thousand units,” Rai reiterated. He concluded by explaining, “A significant number of fatalities have been recovered, and decomposition has already begun. To safeguard public health, we were compelled to proceed with the burial of these decomposing remains.”