Nepal’s devastating flood crisis has deepened, with the death toll reaching 616 and morgues coming under severe pressure as bodies swept downstream continue to be recovered across several districts.
Chitwan has emerged as the centre of the grim recovery operation. Police figures as of 6 am Saturday showed 233 bodies recovered in the district — the highest number among the eight affected districts. Nawalparasi East accounted for another 158.
Search and rescue operations remain underway, with hundreds of people still missing. Teams are searching for those unaccounted for, evacuating people from high-risk areas and working to restore road connectivity after debris and landslides blocked several routes.
The disaster began on Wednesday after a massive flood swept through Rasuwa before surging downstream through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems.
Its impact has extended far beyond the initial flood zone, with bodies carried by the rivers recovered across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan and the two Nawalparasi districts.
Chitwan bears the brunt as bodies wash downstream
The latest police figures showed 48 bodies recovered in Gorkha, 47 in Nawalparasi West, 45 in Dhading, 41 in Nuwakot, 31 in Tanahun and 13 in Rasuwa, in addition to the 233 recovered in Chitwan and 158 in Nawalparasi East.
The scale of the recoveries has created another emergency for authorities: identifying and preserving the bodies until their families can be traced.
Existing morgues in Chitwan can collectively accommodate only around 30 to 50 bodies at a time. Authorities have therefore turned an unused building of the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute on Vidhyut Road in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-10 into a temporary body-management facility capable of holding around 250 bodies.
Police Superintendent Rameshwor Paudel described the procedure being followed after bodies are recovered.
“All of the bodies are being recovered from the river by deploying the police team. We first retrieve the bodies from the river, we take close-up photos of the bodies, if the body is not clear, then we first clean the bodies and then keep it in the body bag and tag it and bring it to this temporary body management location.”
Pokhara morgues receive bodies from other districts
The pressure has also spread to Pokhara as facilities elsewhere struggle to accommodate the number of recovered bodies.
Bodies have been transferred to Pokhara from districts including Tanahun, Nawalparasi East and Dhading.
Kaski Chief District Officer Kuman Singh Gurung said hospitals across the district had a combined capacity for 88 bodies, with five spaces already occupied before the floods.
According to the figures provided, Pokhara Academy of Health Science has capacity for 72 bodies, while Nepal Manipal Teaching Hospital can accommodate eight. Gandaki Medical College, Fishtail Hospital, Charak Memorial Hospital and Fewa City Hospital can each accommodate two bodies.
Hundreds remain missing as rescue operations continue
The crisis remains far from over.
Police are working with residents and other agencies across the affected districts to locate missing people and reach those still stranded. Authorities are also evacuating people from vulnerable areas.
Flood debris and landslides have blocked roads at several locations, forcing rescue teams to simultaneously work on restoring access for relief operations.
The death toll could rise further as searches continue in the affected areas.
Indian nationals constitute the largest group among foreign nationals reported missing, according to Nepal Tourism Board records cited in the supplied material.
India has continued to provide assistance to Nepal. An Indian flight carrying an 11-member medical and tunnel-rescue team reached Nepal on Friday with 10 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, including portable generators, dignity kits, food packets and water-purification tablets.
A day earlier, India had handed over another 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance, including medicines and food packets.
Nepal has also sought specialised international assistance as its disaster response expands. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said the country did not require general foreign search-and-rescue teams but needed expertise and equipment in specialised areas, including tunnel rescue, DNA testing and body preservation.
