Kathmandu— Seventeen bodies, presumed to be victims of the recent flash floods in Nepal, have been found in the Gandak river in Uttar Pradesh. Thirteen bodies were discovered in Kushinagar’s Khadda and Tamkuhi Raj tehsils, including four recovered on Monday, while four others were found in Maharajganj’s Nichlaul tehsil on August 27. The floods, which have claimed over 700 lives and left more than 2,500 people missing, are believed to have been triggered by a rock and ice avalanche caused by a large block of glacier falling off the Bhotekashi river.

Identification Process Underway

The four unidentified bodies recovered from Maharajganj were handed over to Nepal authorities on Monday. District Magistrate Gaurav Singh Sogarwal stated that DNA samples were collected during the post-mortem examination to facilitate identification. The bodies, including those of three women, had been kept in the mortuary for a mandatory 72-hour period.

Bodies Transported Across Border

"The bodies were transported in two ambulances and handed over to the Nawalparasi administration at the Maheshpur border near Thuthibari late Sunday night," said Nichlaul Tehsildar Amit Singh, who led the operation. Additional District Magistrate Prashant Kumar added that all necessary legal and administrative formalities were completed before handing over the bodies to Nepal Police.

Rescue Operations Continue

In Kushinagar, six of the bodies would be handed over to Nepalese authorities on Tuesday after completing the mandatory 72-hour period. Rescue and search operations continue in affected areas with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the flood battalion of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) working alongside district administration and police to search the river and its surrounding areas.

(With inputs from RN)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.