Nepal flood death toll hits 1,344 as survivors join rescue work

Nepal's flash flood toll rose to 1,344 as rescuers recovered more bodies and searched for 5,000 missing people. The disaster has intensified calls for climate accountability even as India and Nepal coordinate relief efforts.The toll from Nepal's devastating flash floods rose to 1,344 on Saturday as more bodies were recovered from affected areas, Nepal Police said. Rescue efforts continued across the country, with around 5,000 people still missing, while survivors joined relief work and teams pressed on with searches in badly hit districts.Alongside the flood developments, there were a series of diplomatic, political and legal updates involving India and the region. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to address the annual high-level UN General Assembly session on September 26, India backed a UNGA resolution endorsing a new world map, and Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah is expected to raise climate change and seek compensation during his US visit later this month. Other developments included Jaishankar's visit to memorials in Warsaw, a reported redundancy plan at Jaguar Land Rover, the arrest of Namal Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka, and a UK court order allowing the extradition of a pharmacist wanted in India.Nepal Police said the death toll climbed after more bodies were recovered from flood-hit areas. The authorities continued rescue operations as families searched for missing relatives and as the scale of the disaster became clearer.At the Chilime hydropower site in flood-hit Rasuwa district, the Indian tunnel rescue team working with the Nepalese Army made a temporary track inside the tunnel, allowing more heavy equipment to reach the affected areas, authorities said. In another rescue, a Chinese national was pulled out on Saturday from a hydropower project tunnel in Rasuwa district, 10 days after the project was hit by the floods.Officials also said a 60-year-old woman was rescued alive after 10 days from the top floor of a four-storey house in Bidur town in Nuwakot district. She had been trapped after the house was buried under mud and debris. Several survivors, even as they mourned loved ones and searched for missing family members, returned to assist in rescue and relief operations in the affected areas.For many families, DNA testing has become the last hope of identifying missing relatives. One such case is that of Amrit Diyali, who said he was struck when he saw a human hand washed downstream by floodwaters because it closely resembled that of his younger brother Raj Kumar, who has been missing along with his wife and four-year-old son since the floods.At the United Nations, Jaishankar will address the annual high-level UN General Assembly session on September 26. India also voted in favour of a UNGA resolution aimed at correcting the world map to promote a "more accurate representation" of continental landmasses.Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah will visit the US later this month to address the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. He is likely to raise Nepal's concerns over climate change and seek compensation from the international community over the flash floods.In Warsaw, Jaishankar visited two memorials that commemorate India's role in sheltering Polish refugees during World War II. He paid tribute to Indian rulers who gave refuge to the displaced, recalling a chapter that continues to shape ties between the two countries.In the UK, a media report said Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover will open a voluntary redundancy programme that could lead to around 4,000 job cuts over two years.In Sri Lanka, Namal Rajapaksa, the elder son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested and remanded in the USD 800,000 Airbus graft case. The anti-graft commission said the case was linked to alleged corruption in the purchase of Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines.In another legal development, a London court ruled on Friday that a UK-based pharmacist wanted in India can be extradited to stand trial on murder charges over the targeting of his ex-wife's family in Hyderabad.The developments through the day reflected both the continuing human toll of Nepal's floods and a wider set of diplomatic, political and legal actions involving India and its neighbourhood, from rescue missions and identification efforts to UN engagements and court proceedings.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 5, 2026 20:04 IST