Nepal floods: Search goes on after 11 days as relief shifts to rebuilding

Nepal continued searching for missing people as flood relief widened into reconstruction and tighter travel protocols. The prolonged crisis exposed the disaster's huge human toll while partners began backing recovery efforts.Image used for representational purposes onlyRescuers in Nepal continued searching for missing people on Sunday, while authorities were still finding it difficult to identify the dead 11 days after floods devastated large parts of the country. The disaster response also widened to cover relief, reconstruction, travel guidance, media access and warnings over valuables found in flood-hit areas.Alongside the Nepal developments, there were updates from London, Islamabad, Dhaka and Washington. These included an interaction between RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and members of the British Sikh community, Pakistan’s reaction to the demolition of a mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur, a court order for jailed Hindu rights leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh, the arrest in India of an Indian-origin fraud suspect wanted in the US, and Pakistan’s diplomatic calls with Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt.Nepal urged friendly countries to limit travel advisories to specific flood-affected areas, saying the rest of the country remains open and safe for travel and tourism. It also issued a media safety and operational protocol for journalists visiting areas affected by the August 26 floods, while foreign journalists seeking to report from those areas will have to obtain press accreditation. Nepal Police, meanwhile, asked people not to keep, sell or distribute gold, silver, cash and other valuables found after the floods, and told them to hand such items over to the nearest police office.The floods have also changed the way many people donate to relief efforts. Where contributions to government relief funds once meant carrying cash, finding a bank and standing in a queue, many people now donate using a mobile phone and a QR code. Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun discussed the ongoing search, rescue and relief operations on Sunday, with South Korea pledging support for Nepal’s post-flood reconstruction. One report said the floods in the Himalayan nation have killed more than 1,300 people and left around 5,000 missing.The human cost of the disaster remained stark in crowded shelters. Sharmila Shrestha lost her home and was separated from her baby for days. Now reunited, she can do little more than watch her toddler eat the same food as the adults because there is nothing else. Another survivor account came from 16-year-old Sameer Tamang in flood-hit Rasuwa district. “In a single moment, the disaster took away my sisters,” he said after the Bhotekoshi River, already a roaring wave of destruction when he reached school, washed away his home.There was also a rare rescue that renewed hope for the missing. In Nuwakot, a 60-year-old woman was found alive on Saturday after spending 10 days in mud and debris. Armed Police Force Inspector Suman Bik was quoted as saying, “We had previously searched and conducted rescue operations at this exact spot and heard no sound at all.”Images from the Tibet-Nepal border also showed the scale of the devastation caused by the August 26 flash floods. In Gyirong, one of the starkest reminders was a video showing a massive wall of mud, rocks and debris engulfing a well-built immigration post within seconds.In London, Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney said Mohan Bhagwat had a “meaningful interaction” with the British Sikh community during his visit to one of the oldest gurdwaras outside India. In Islamabad, Pakistan condemned the demolition of a mosque in Saharanpur as a “reprehensible action”. In Washington, FBI Director Kash Patel said a most-wanted Indian-origin fraudster accused of irregularities in US government schemes had been arrested in India.In Dhaka, Bangladesh’s High Court granted bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das in two more cases, though local media reported that his release is unlikely because he faces charges in other cases. Also in Islamabad, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held separate telephone conversations with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt, discussing bilateral and regional issues.The day’s developments were led by Nepal’s continuing struggle after the floods, with search operations, relief measures, survivor stories and reconstruction support all moving at once. At the same time, separate political, legal and diplomatic updates emerged from the UK, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the US.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 6, 2026 20:52 IST