The district administrations in the neighboring country are struggling to cope with the increasing number of bodies arriving. Photo: PTI
Morgues overflow in Nepal as flash flood death toll crosses 500
Nepal's morgues are nearing capacity as the flood death toll crosses 500, forcing authorities to move bodies and establish temporary storage facilities
As the death toll in the devastating flash floods in Nepal crossed 500 on Friday (August 28), dignified preservation of the bodies of those who have perished has become a cause of concern for the Balen Shah government in the Himalayan nation.
Morgues struggle with rising numbers
The district administrations in the neighbouring country are struggling to cope with the increasing number of bodies arriving, with several morgues across districts nearing their full capacity.
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The situation has become such that officials in several districts are getting in touch with their counterparts in nearby districts to make alternative arrangements for preserving the bodies.
Bodies have been recovered from Rasuwa and Nuwakot, even from downstream areas as far as Chitwan, Tanahun and Nawalparasi, reported The Kathmandu Post.
Bodies moved across districts
Morgues in Nuwakot, Dhading and Nawalparasi are on the brink of running out of storage space, and bodies are being sent to nearby districts. In Chitwan, the number of recovered bodies has already exceeded the local hospital’s capacity, leaving the district administration with no choice but to set up a temporary facility.
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Hospitals in Pokhara in Kaski district are also staring at similar prospects, with the number of bodies received reaching full capacity.
Authorities in Chitwan have set up a temporary storage facility in Bharatpur with hospitals getting overwhelmed with an increasing number of bodies.
Chitwan recovers 137 bodies
As many as 137 bodies have been recovered till 9.30 am on Thursday (August 28) in the Chitwan stretch of the Trishuli and Narayani rivers, from Phishling to Golaghat and the numbers have been increasing since then.
District officials said that the morgues in hospitals in Chitwan have the collective capacity to accommodate 30 to 50 bodies. But with the infrastructure already creaking under pressure, the temporary facility may have to accommodate about 250 bodies.
Devghat kept as backup
If that arrangement also gets overwhelmed, local officials have decided to the electric crematorium at Devghat as an additional option.
It’s not just space, but the infrastructure required to preserve the bodies that has also come under the scanner. This becomes evident in the remark made by Sushil Aryal, information officer at Pokhara Academy of Health Science.
Cold storage limits
He said that with current infrastructure, the hospital morgue can only keep bodies at temperatures between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius. But with this, he said, bodies can only be stored for 10 days to two weeks.
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“Bodies can be kept like this for about 10 days to two weeks. If they need to be stored for longer, infrastructure capable of maintaining sub-zero temperatures is required. Pokhara does not currently have such a facility,” he added.
Two arrested in Chitwan
Meanwhile, another incident in Chitwan presented a sharp contrast with the struggle to preserve the bodies. Two men were arrested for allegedly pulling in the dead body of a woman floating in the Narayani River with her hair and wooden logs and stealing her gold jewellery.
According to local media reports, the two accused-25-year-old Madan Gurung and 38-year-old Umesh Chaudhary-were arrested on Thursday (August 27) after the video of the incident went viral.