KATHMANDU: A total of 5,384 people affected by the Bhotekoshi floods have received medical treatment so far, as rescue, relief and health-care operations continue across the disaster-hit areas.
The floods have caused widespread loss of life and property and left thousands of people displaced, injured or unaccounted for. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), 304 flood-affected people are currently receiving treatment at various hospitals.
In addition, 3,206 people have received health-care services from the Nepal Army, while another 1,874 have been treated through the Armed Police Force, Nepal.
The Authority said health care for the injured and sick has remained a key priority alongside search-and-rescue and relief operations in the flood-affected areas.
More than 5,000 people remain uncontacted
The disaster continues to pose a major challenge to rescue teams, with 5,083 people still uncontacted following the floods, according to the authority.
So far, 12,038 people have been rescued from affected areas. More than 3,000 of those rescued are currently staying at various holding centres while authorities work to arrange their safe accommodation and provide essential services.
NDRRMA spokesperson Shanti Mahat said authorities are working to ensure that rescued people staying in safe locations receive necessary health care, food and other basic necessities.
Security agencies and other relevant government bodies have been mobilised to continue searching for people who remain uncontacted, she said.
The continued search is particularly challenging in areas where floodwaters and landslides have damaged roads and bridges, swept away settlements and disrupted access to remote communities.
1,290 bodies recovered
The human toll from the disaster has continued to rise as search teams recover bodies from areas affected by the floods. According to the latest details compiled by Thursday evening, 1,290 bodies had been recovered from Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan, Gorkha, Tanahun, Nawalparasi East and Nawalparasi West.
Nepal Police have also included in the official tally bodies recovered in India that are believed to be linked to the disaster.
According to Nepal Police Central Spokesperson Abinarayan Kafle, the recovered bodies include 34 boys, 45 girls, 250 women and 427 men.
In addition, 532 bodies consisting of partial human remains have been recovered. The official records also include two people who died while undergoing treatment in hospitals.
The large number of partial remains has further complicated the process of identifying victims. Authorities and forensic teams are continuing efforts to establish the identities of those recovered and provide information to families searching for missing relatives.
Search and rescue operations continue
With thousands of people still uncontacted, search and rescue operations have been intensified across the affected districts.
Security personnel and other response teams are continuing to search for survivors and missing people while also recovering bodies and clearing debris from damaged areas.
The destruction of roads, bridges and other infrastructure has made access to several locations difficult. In some areas, rescue teams have had to rely on helicopters and other specialised equipment to reach isolated communities and transport people and essential supplies.
At the same time, medical teams are continuing to treat people injured or made sick by the disaster. Health services are being provided both at hospitals and through medical teams deployed by the security forces.
Care for rescued and displaced people
Authorities are also facing the challenge of managing thousands of people who have been rescued but cannot immediately return to their homes because of the destruction caused by the floods.
More than 3,000 rescued people are currently staying at holding centres, where authorities are working to provide food, health care, shelter and other basic services.
The immediate priorities are now focused on three areas: finding those who remain uncontacted, providing medical care to those affected and ensuring the safety and basic needs of rescued and displaced people.
As search operations continue and the scale of the destruction becomes clearer, authorities are also preparing for the longer-term recovery of communities whose homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged or swept away.
The Bhotekoshi flood has therefore moved beyond an immediate rescue emergency into a complex humanitarian operation involving search and rescue, medical treatment, victim identification, relief distribution and the temporary management of displaced survivors.
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