Nepal floods: Around 600 children missing as death toll rises to 1,282 in disaster

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Around 600 children remain unaccounted for in Nepal's Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts following the devastating flash floods, while the overall death toll from the disaster has risen to 1,282, according to authorities.

More than 4,700 people remain missing as search and rescue teams continue operations across affected areas.

The flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, caused widespread destruction across towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, sweeping away homes, roads and other infrastructure.

Death toll rises as more bodies are recovered

According to Nepal Police, 359 bodies have been recovered in Chitwan, 218 in Nawalparasi East, 208 in Nawalparasi West, 185 in Nuwakot, 140 in Rasuwa, 72 in Gorkha, 60 in Dhading and 38 in Tanahu.

Two additional people died while undergoing treatment at hospitals in Kathmandu, taking the total death toll to 1,282.

A joint command of Nepal's security forces is continuing search operations for 4,798 people reported missing from different affected areas.

The scale of the disaster has made search and identification efforts difficult, with damaged infrastructure and disrupted communication affecting the collection of information from remote areas.

Hundreds of children remain unaccounted for

An estimated 280 children are missing in Rasuwa, while between 300 and 350 others remain unaccounted for in neighbouring Nuwakot in central Nepal, the Kathmandu Post reported.

The figures were compiled using information from local Education Development and Coordination Units, local governments and educational institutions.

Authorities said the number of missing children could change as schools and local agencies continue to verify reports from affected communities.

Surya Bahadur Khatri, head of the Nuwakot Education Development and Coordination Unit, said officials were working with school authorities to establish verified figures.

"We are actively liaising with headmasters to collect verified data on missing students, though school heads are struggling to provide exact figures due to broken communications."

"Although a few missing students have been located, new reports of unaccounted-for children continue to arrive from various schools. We estimate that at least 300 pupils are missing in our district."

Nearly 250 children missing in Bidur Municipality

In Bidur Municipality of Nuwakot alone, around 250 children have remained missing since the floods struck, according to Navaraj Sapkota, a school inspector with the municipality's education unit.

"The situation on the ground is deeply distressing. In some cases, we have located surviving parents who cannot find their children, while in other instances, surviving students are searching for missing parents," Sapkota said.

Bidur Municipality has 170 educational institutions, including 142 community schools and 28 private schools.

Officials are continuing to coordinate with school heads and local authorities as they attempt to trace missing students and reunite surviving family members.

Rasuwa continues verification of missing students

In Rasuwa, Durga Prasad Silwal, chief of the local education unit, said official verification was continuing, although preliminary records indicated that 280 students remained missing across the district.

The disaster has also affected teachers and other school staff members.

Education authorities have confirmed that 22 teachers and school staff members remain missing across Rasuwa and Nuwakot.

Several teachers from Dhading and Gorkha who had travelled to Rasuwa on pilgrimage were also caught in the floods and remain missing.

Twenty-two teachers and school staff members still missing

Rasuwa has reported 16 missing teachers, including 15 from community schools and one from a private institution.

Nuwakot has confirmed that six teachers remain missing, according to the Kathmandu Post.

Authorities said that although bodies of victims have been recovered in downstream districts, they have yet to establish the exact number of missing students and teachers among those identified.

The identification process remains ongoing as authorities continue to recover bodies and collect information from affected communities.

Floods damage and destroy schools

The disaster has also caused extensive damage to educational infrastructure.

According to data from Nepal's Ministry of Education, the floods affected 22 schools across Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading.

Of these, 12 educational institutions were completely destroyed, according to the report.

(With inputs from PTI)