KATHMANDU: A total of 105 bodies have been recovered from two areas of Rasuwa, the district worst affected by last Wednesday’s devastating flood.
The bodies were found along both banks of the Bhotekoshi River, from the dry port area at Timure up to Ghatte Khola.
Ashok Thapa, Deputy Superintendent of Police and chief of the District Police Office, Rasuwa, said 105 bodies had been recovered during search operations conducted at various locations over the past few days.
“The bodies were not found at a single location in Timure. They were scattered across the upper area between Timure and Ghatte Khola and were located during helicopter searches,” Thapa said.
He said some of the bodies had been swept downstream by the flood, while others were found buried under mud in houses.
“Security personnel have collected the bodies over the past three days and sent them to Kathmandu via Nuwakot,” he said.
According to Thapa, teams from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force excavated and recovered the bodies before sending them to Kathmandu for examination.
He said ground searches have been difficult because the bodies were scattered across inaccessible locations.
“The bodies found during the helicopter search have already been sent to Kathmandu. There may not be many more bodies to find in the area up to Ghatte Khola. However, locating bodies buried under the mud through ground excavation is not currently feasible because a large amount of silt has accumulated in the Bhotekoshi,” he said.
One of the first bodies recovered from the area has already been identified by relatives, Thapa said. Nine bodies were also recovered in Syafrubesi and 11 in Betravati.
Search teams have been deployed by helicopter from Dhunche. However, heavy rain and fog have made aerial searches difficult.
“Bodies that are buried under the mud and cannot be seen cannot be recovered. It is also difficult to immediately deploy security personnel on the ground,” Thapa said.
He said deploying search teams to areas containing hydropower tunnels has also been challenging.
“It is difficult to take excavators to locations with hydropower tunnels. It is not possible to search them simply by digging manually,” he said.
Thapa added that the lack of accommodation for security personnel deployed for rescue operations has also created difficulties, with teams sometimes having to be brought back.
“If the weather deteriorates or helicopters cannot reach the area on time, the personnel themselves could be at risk. Setting up tents and maintaining supplies of water and food for security personnel stationed near the tunnels is extremely difficult at present,” he said.
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