Nepal’s devastating floods have killed 903 people, while more than 4,200 remain missing, including over 200 students from different schools, the country’s National Disaster Authority said. Indian nationals constitute the largest group of missing foreigners.
Authorities have begun burying unidentified bodies in mass graves as many could not be identified and decomposition had started. DNA samples are being collected from the bodies for future identification.
Nepal’s Education Ministry said at least 19 schools in the three worst-hit districts have been affected, according to a BBC report. At least nine schools have been completely destroyed and another seven have been partially damaged.
Teachers and students from several educational institutions have also been reported missing.
The latest assessment by Nepal’s Ministry of Education and Sports said more than 200 students remain missing and about 20 students were swept away by floodwaters.
Most of the severely damaged schools are located in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. A total of 2,425 students studied at several schools in these two districts. Some schools were submerged by floodwaters, while others were buried under soil.
One school authority said a bus carrying one of its students was swept away by floodwaters.
The BBC South Asia Visual Journalism team has created a map identifying the locations of flood-damaged schools using satellite imagery.
Authorities in Chitwan district, downstream from where the floods first struck last Wednesday, resumed the burial of unidentified bodies that had washed ashore.
Nearly 200 of 272 bodies were buried on Sunday. Officials said they hoped to complete the burial of the remaining bodies on Monday.
Chitwan authorities had earlier said many bodies washed ashore in a condition that made identification extremely difficult.
Nepal Police said detailed records would be maintained for every burial. Serial numbers would be assigned to grave sites, while DNA samples, post-mortem and autopsy reports, and any information useful for identification would be preserved.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said at least 275 Indian citizens remain missing in Nepal. Another 128 people of Indian origin are also missing.
The ministry said 403 Indian citizens had entered Nepal from China, while another 500 Indian citizens remain safe in China.
A total of 149 people have been rescued so far.
India has stepped up support for rescue operations in Nepal. A 19-member specialised forensic team has begun work in Kathmandu, assisting with DNA sample analysis and identification of the deceased.