After being devastated by flash floods that have killed hundreds and left more than 1,000 people missing, Nepal is now struggling to store and identify bodies recovered from the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems. The situation has placed additional strain on morgues across several districts, with many facilities reaching or exceeding their capacity as bodies continue to be carried downstream.
According to The Kathmandu Post, bodies swept away by the Bhotekoshi flood have been recovered across several parts of central Nepal, including Nuwakot, Chitwan, Tanahun and Nawalparasi. Authorities in some districts have had to transfer bodies to other locations after local hospitals ran out of space, while temporary facilities are being arranged to manage further recoveries.
Chitwan has become one of the key recovery sites. By 9.30 am on Thursday, 137 bodies had been recovered along the Chitwan section of the Trishuli and Narayani rivers between Phishling and Golaghat, The Kathmandu Post reported. Since hospital morgues can accommodate only about 30 to 50 bodies at a time, officials were converting an unused government building in Bharatpur into a temporary storage facility.
The temporary centre is expected to accommodate around 250 bodies. Officials plan to use air conditioners and dry ice to delay decomposition, with local businesses and industry groups agreeing to assist with the supply of dry ice. If the facility reaches its limit, authorities have identified the electric crematorium at Devghat as an alternative.
News agency PTI also shared footage showing relatives gathered outside the morgue at Kathmandu’s Teaching Hospital, where posters featuring photographs of flood victims had been displayed.
Aalok Subedi, founder and CEO of Kathmandu-based MeroAdda LegalTech initiatives, also posted an image on X showing family members and relatives attempting to identify loved ones from photographs of bodies recovered from the floods outside the Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj.
BODIES BEING SENT TO POKHARA AS STORAGE CAPACITY SHRINKS
The crisis has also placed significant pressure on facilities in Pokhara, where bodies recovered from other districts are being transported for storage.
By Thursday, 93 bodies had been brought to Pokhara from Tanahun, Gorkha, Nawalparasi East and Dhading, according to The Kathmandu Post. Hospitals and medical institutions across Kaski can collectively hold around 88 bodies, meaning the number transported to the city had already surpassed available capacity.
Nine bodies arrived from Tanahun on Wednesday, while 41 came from Nawalparasi East, 27 from Dhading and 11 from Gorkha on Thursday. The Kaski Chief District Officer told The Kathmandu Post that the bodies had been accommodated temporarily, but additional arrivals could require coordination with neighbouring districts.
Storage conditions are another concern. Bodies at the Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences are being maintained at temperatures between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius. Hospital information officer Sushil Aryal said remains can generally be preserved under these conditions for only around 10 days to two weeks. Longer storage would require facilities capable of maintaining sub-zero temperatures, which are currently unavailable in Pokhara.
The shortage of storage space is further complicated by the challenge of identifying bodies that have travelled long distances through the river network.
In Kaski, police follow a procedure involving photographing recovered bodies, recording fingerprints, conducting post-mortems and collecting DNA samples, Superintendent of Police Nabin Karki told The Kathmandu Post. Where possible, photographs are made public to help relatives determine whether a recovered body belongs to a missing family member. DNA samples are sent to Kathmandu for analysis when necessary.
Relatives of missing people have already begun travelling to Chitwan from districts such as Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Gorkha in search of their loved ones. Some have arrived carrying photographs of missing family members as authorities work to establish the temporary storage centre.
QR CODE SYSTEM HELPS FAMILIES IDENTIFY FLOOD VICTIMS
Nepal Police has compiled a list of people who died in the Bhotekoshi River floods in Rasuwa, including recovered bodies that have not yet been identified.
According to Kathmandu-based news portal OnlineKhabar, the list contains photographs of unidentified bodies along with physical descriptions and other information that could assist families in identifying missing relatives.
Nepal Police has made the information available through a QR code posted on its official Facebook page. By scanning the code, people can access photographs and identifying details of recovered bodies and check whether any could belong to their missing relatives.
The initiative is part of efforts to help families locate loved ones who have remained missing since the floods.
BODY STORAGE CRISIS SPREADS TO OTHER DISTRICTS
The shortage of morgue space is not limited to Chitwan and Pokhara. In Gorkha, 11 bodies recovered from the Trishuli River were transferred to Gandaki Provincial Hospital in Pokhara after the local morgue ran out of space. By Thursday evening, 39 bodies had been recovered from river-adjacent areas of Gorkha, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Nawalparasi East has also been forced to transfer bodies after hospitals and government health facilities reached capacity. Forty-one bodies were sent to Pokhara and eight to Palpa, while others were being kept at hospitals in Madhyabindu, Gaindakot, Devchuli and Kawasoti. Authorities were also preparing a community forest hall for use as another temporary morgue.
In Dhading, authorities had recovered 37 bodies and human remains, including 13 body parts, by Thursday. Six bodies were transported to Kathmandu because local facilities did not have sufficient storage and refrigeration capacity, while the remaining remains were sent to Pokhara, The Kathmandu Post reported.
NEPAL ON ALERT FOR ANOTHER WAVE OF FLOODING
The disaster has also made rescue efforts upstream more difficult. The BBC reported that massive landslides and flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border have left hundreds dead or missing, while search and rescue teams continue operations amid concerns over additional flooding.
Initial reports had suggested that an earthquake could have triggered the disaster. However, the US Geological Survey concluded that the event was caused by a glacial collapse. According to USGS data cited by the BBC, the impact of the collapsed glacier on the valley floor registered as a magnitude 5.2 event. The resulting debris flow then caused devastating flooding downstream.
A newly formed lake near the Nepal-Tibet border began overflowing on Friday, raising fears of another deadly surge and disrupting rescue operations.
As recovery efforts continue, authorities are preparing for the possibility of more bodies being recovered. Under Nepal’s Unidentified and Unclaimed Bodies Management Guidelines, 2021, police must document and process remains before unidentified bodies can be buried. Authorities are also considering designated burial locations while retaining identification records so that remains can potentially be traced in the future.
With rivers continuing to carry bodies downstream and morgues already operating beyond their usual capacity, Nepal’s challenge has expanded beyond locating missing people. Authorities must now also preserve, document and identify the dead as the recovery operation continues downstream.
