Rescue and search teams work with search dogs along the Trishuli River in Nepal's Nuwakot district on Wednesday, looking for victims of the flash flood that struck on Aug. 26. [AFP]
Rescue and search teams work with search dogs along the Trishuli River in Nepal's Nuwakot district on Wednesday, looking for victims of the flash flood that struck on Aug. 26. [AFP]

Nepalese authorities have called off search and rescue operations roughly 40 days after a massive flood devastated the country.

Panindra Paudel, head of Nepal's National Emergency Operation Center, said Monday that the country was "moving from the search and rescue phase to the search and reconstruction phase."

Paudel added that authorities were working on a plan to legally declare the missing dead, so their families and relatives could settle legal matters related to insurance, banking and other affairs.

"We are initiating the appropriate process for the legal closure (of the missing persons' cases)," he said.

The floods, which struck the Himalayan mountain region along Nepal's border with China's Tibet on Aug. 26, have killed at least 1,455 people, with more than 5,285 still missing.

Authorities said they would no longer actively search for bodies but would recover any remains, property or other valuables found during reconstruction. Emergency rescue operations would continue if needed, they added.

Kalpana Thapa Magar, 43, who lost her home in recent flash floods and landslides, poses atop the debris that buried her house in Betrawati, Nuwakot district, Nepal, on Sept. 9. [Reuters]
Kalpana Thapa Magar, 43, who lost her home in recent flash floods and landslides, poses atop the debris that buried her house in Betrawati, Nuwakot district, Nepal, on Sept. 9. [Reuters]

Beyond the human toll, the floods damaged 12 hydroelectric power projects under construction and destroyed roads, bridges, farmland and residential facilities.

Authorities said completing reconstruction and recovery for the thousands of people displaced by the floods would require about $5 billion.

Authorities also plan to drain four glacial lakes — among the most at-risk in Nepal — into nearby rivers to reduce the danger of future flooding.

Officials said they would draw up drainage plans before beginning work, with the project expected to take up to eight years to complete.


bbo@heraldcorp.com