Kathmandu. National mourning is being observed today in honour of those who lost their lives in the unimaginably devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar on September 3 had decided to observe national mourning today in honour of those who lost their lives in the devastating floods in Bhotekoshi on August 24. The national flag will be flown at half-mast at government offices across Nepal and Nepali embassies and missions abroad today.

According to the Police Headquarters, Naxal, the bodies of 1,342 people who died in the floods have been recovered so far. Similarly, 3,992 people are still missing in the floods.

According to the latest data, 530 of the bodies found are men, 328 women and 495 are unrecognizable. According to central spokesperson Abinarayan Kafle, 2,827 men and 567 women are still out of contact. Similarly, 267 men and 239 women are out of contact with foreign nationals.

The security agencies are continuing the search, rescue and management of the missing in the flood-affected areas. Of the recovered bodies, 1,044 bodies have been safely buried in the ground and the process of identification and management of the remaining bodies has been initiated, police said.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 13,399 people have been rescued from various flood-affected districts so far. Thousands of personnel from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been continuously engaged in rescue operations amidst difficult terrain, blocked roads and dangerous river flows. According to NRA Spokesperson Shanti Mahat, 21,465 security personnel have been deployed for search, rescue and relief in the affected areas.

The Nepal Army has intensified the search, rescue and relief operations by flying 1,045 times by air and 129 times by the private sector. Holding centers have been set up in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading for the immediate management of the rescued people. Currently, 3,912 people are in the holding centers. The work of providing immediate health services to the injured and affected people has also been intensified. So far, 6,073 people have been provided health services.

DNA testing has been given priority to identify the missing persons and identify the bodies found. So far, DNA samples of 2,376 people, including 1,181 people and 1,195 relatives of the deceased, have been collected, police said. Teams of Nepal Police, Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and concerned government agencies have been mobilized in the affected areas for the search, rescue and management of the missing bodies.