Kathmandu— Following Wednesday’s flash floods in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts of Nepal, hundreds of family members have been traveling between hospitals in Kathmandu, desperately searching for missing relatives. The Ministry of Health and Food Safety reports that 1,436 people have been rescued from flood-hit areas as of Saturday, with 242 injured – 75 currently receiving treatment at facilities like TU Teaching Hospital and the National Trauma Centre, while three deaths have been confirmed.

Anxious Wait at Kathmandu Hospitals

Sitamaya Tamang, from Sindhupalchowk, has spent the last three days searching for her brother, Subash Tamang, who was driving a container towards the China border with goods for the upcoming Dashain festival when the floods hit. She repeatedly checks lists of missing persons posted at TU Teaching Hospital and rushes to the emergency room each time a new patient arrives, still clinging to hope. “My brother called me the night before the flood in Rasuwa,” Sitamaya said, her voice heavy with anxiety. “We had a long conversation… After that, I tried calling my brother, but I couldn’t connect.”

Coordination Challenges and Official Efforts

Om Bahadur Rana, DIG of Nepal Police, noted the large number of people visiting Teaching Hospital – numbering in the thousands – to search for family. He suggested that relying on official notices updated by the Nepal Police would be a more efficient way to locate missing relatives, as individuals may be receiving treatment at hospitals other than those initially visited. Rana explained that many unidentified bodies, at least 50, have been brought to Teaching Hospital and are being held for identification.

Unidentified Remains and DNA Testing

Government officials state that the Teaching Hospital is currently holding unidentified bodies recovered from various locations, attempting to contact family members for positive identification. If relatives do not come forward or identification proves impossible, police indicate that the bodies will undergo DNA testing before being managed further.

The search for missing persons continues in six districts affected by the floods, while families remain vigilant at hospitals and rely on official updates for information regarding their loved ones.

(With inputs from RN)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.