Relatives mourn during symbolic funerals held for flood victims still reported missing as they cremate Kush grass effigies in accordance with Nepali Hindu rites at Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu on September 2, 2026. (AFP Photo)
Nepali families held symbolic funerals on Sept. 2 to “liberate the souls” of relatives missing since deadly flash floods swept away their villages and homes in the Himalayan region on Aug. 26.
Emergency teams have recovered more than 1,100 bodies, and nearly 4,500 people are missing after the gigantic wave of freezing water, rocks and debris triggered by a high-altitude glacial collapse roared down the China-Nepal border on Aug. 26.
After days of searching shelters and mortuaries, relatives of some of the missing lost hope and began conducting last rites, burning straw effigies in Hindu rituals.
“We had to do this to set his soul free, so that he is at peace and happy wherever he is,” said Dolma Newar Tamang, flanked by her sobbing son, at a funeral for her husband.
A week on from the colossal disaster, Nepali rescuers are still seeking survivors, including by digging through packed sludge that has entombed multiple tunnels of hydropower plants.
So far, rescuers have recovered only bodies from tunnels, but teams were still digging, drilling and blasting through debris.
There is growing anger at the scale of destruction to hit Nepal, a largely rural nation of 30 million people.
The country has contributed little to the greenhouse gas emissions driving global warming, but is among those suffering its consequences.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah warned the catastrophe was “a serious indication” of the risks the Himalayan nation faces.
