Nepal Begins Mass Burials as Glacier Disaster Death Toll Reaches 781
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 30
Nepal Begins Mass Burials as Glacier Disaster Death Toll Reaches 781
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 30
Summary
Nearly 200 unidentified victims were set for burial by Aug. 30 after bodies recovered from the Nepal mudslide began decomposing, with officials collecting DNA samples and mapping grave sites for possible later identification.
The emergency measure came as Nepal's death toll reached 781 and 2,502 people remained missing; Chinese authorities reported 16 dead and 546 missing on their side of the border.
Fresh rain and rising water in the Trishuli River again disrupted rescue work, while fears grew that an overflow from a disaster-formed lake on the Nepal-China border could trigger more flooding.
Almost 600 foreign nationals are missing in Nepal, including dozens of Americans, and China said 261 foreigners from 23 countries were unaccounted for in Tibet.
The Aug. 26 glacier collapse and landslide has likely affected more than 90,000 people, with Chinese state media tying the cross-border disaster to long-term global warming effects on the Tibetan plateau.