A month after Nepal floods, thousands are still missing and families face a long recovery

One month after devastating floods in Nepal, thousands of people remain missing and the country faces a long and costly recovery. The government is appealing for international aid to help with reconstruction and to address future climate risks. KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — After spending five years working in Saudi Arabia, Narayan Prassan returned to his home in Nepal with savings, only to lose his house in the 2015 earthquake.

He went abroad again, earned enough to rebuild his… He went abroad again, earned enough to rebuild his home and settled happily with his family.Last month’s floods have destroyed everything once more.With his home in a designated danger zone and no clear idea of where his family will resettle, Prassan is staying with his wife and children at a relative’s house and mulling another stint overseas.“This flood has taken everything,” he said. “I don’t know what to do.”A month after devastating floods swept through parts of Nepal, thousands are displaced like Prassan and rescuers continue searching for thousands others missing, including many believed trapped in six hydropower project tunnels.

The disaster has left the government facing a long and costly recovery, with families confronting the loss of loved ones, homes and livelihoods.Prime Minister Balendra Shah used his first address to the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday to highlight the flooding as a warning about the growing climate risks facing the Himalayan region.“The disaster was not just a local tragedy, but a warning to the world,” Shah said. “I ask you today: Have we really heard that warning?”Shah also called for greater international support for Nepal’s recovery and stronger regional cooperation to prepare for climate-related disasters.“Climate change does not recognize borders.

Glaciers and floods do not travel with stamps and passports,” he said.DNA testing delays final rites for some familiesNepal’s disaster management agency said 1,453 bodies had been recovered and 5,644 people remained missing. Only 112 bodies had been handed over to relatives, while 1,333 were temporarily buried pending identification. In neighboring China, officials reported 261 foreign nationals among the missing.Tents have been set up at the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu, where relatives can provide DNA samples to help identify the dead.

Authorities are comparing the samples with DNA collected from recovered remains.Laboratory officials declined to provide details, citing privacy concerns, but said experts from India, China, the United States, Singapore and South Korea were assisting with the work.Rabi Kumar Thapa Magar, a hydropower worker who lost his wife, brother, sister-in-law and mot…