Nepal flood death toll rises to nearly 800, more than 3,000 missing

KATHMANDU, Aug 30: More than 3,000 people were listed as missing Sunday, with at least 797 confirmed dead, after the flash floods and landslides that hit the Nepal-Tibet border.

The figures are likely to change, which is not uncommon in the chaos after a major disaster.
Nepal's disaster agency increased the total number of people missing on its side of the border to 2,502 on Sunday, saying there were also 781 confirmed deaths.

The number of missing in Tibet is now at 546, with 16 others dead, China's state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday. Together, the total missing stands at least 3,048 and the total dead at 797.

Nepal's disaster agency said Sunday that 592 foreigners were unaccounted for -- an increase on Friday's figure of 517. It did not update the list by nationality. Chinese officials said Sunday at least 261 foreign nationals were among those unaccounted for there.

In India, authorities said they had recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, believed to be flood victims. However, at this time they are not included in the toll.

It also includes 933 workers on hydropower projects along the river which the torrent crashed through, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. Nepal's disaster agency listed 1,910 missing citizens in a update on Sunday. That includes 562 unaccounted for in the hardest-hit district of Rasuwa.

In India, authorities said they had recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, believed to be flood victims.

However, they are not included in the toll.

Nepal has called for freezer storage units and DNA testing kits, as it is overwhelmed with the number of bodies to store safely.

"We have requested different countries for freezers; we will need more than a thousand," Rai added.

"Many dead bodies have been collected, and they have started decomposing. To preserve public health, we had to bury the decomposing bodies," he added.    �"AFP