Nepal police warn people not to keep, sell gold, cash, valuables found after floods

Amid the devastation left by Nepal's deadly floods, police have warned people against keeping, selling or distributing gold, silver, cash and other valuables recovered from floodwaters. They have urged anyone who finds such items to hand them over to the nearest police office.

Rescue teams continue searching for missing people as authorities deal with the aftermath of the disaster, which swept away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges across parts of Nepal and Tibet. Nepal Police said people who come across valuables or important documents should report them to authorities so they can be returned to their rightful owners. Concealing, keeping, using or buying and selling such property could amount to an offence and may lead to legal action, police warned.

This follows a recent incident in Dhading district in which 29 people were arrested for breaking open a bank safe that had been carried downstream by floodwaters and taking cash from it. According to Nepal's Kantipur news portal, the safe was found along the Trishuli River at Belkhukhola in Galchhi Rural Municipality.

Police have also warned that disasters can create opportunities for theft, looting and fraud, particularly when security personnel are stretched by search-and-rescue operations.

1,344 KILLED, NEARLY 5,000 STILL MISSING

After an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26 triggered a massive surge of water and debris, the Bhotekoshi River carried the destruction downstream. The floods hit settlements across several districts, damaging homes, infrastructure and hydropower projects.

According to Nepal Police, the death toll has reached 1,344, while nearly 5,000 people remain missing. More than 13,100 people have been rescued.

The scale of the disaster has also made identifying the dead extremely difficult. Officials said at least 85 recovered bodies were children, while about 500 bodies were recovered with missing body parts. Many bodies were badly damaged or decomposed after being swept through water and mud.

Chitwan recorded the highest number of recovered bodies at 362, followed by several other affected districts, including Nawalparasi East and West, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Gorkha, Dhading and Tanahun. Nepal's Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said only 98 bodies had been identified and handed over to families.

DNA SAMPLES HELP IDENTIFY VICTIMS

To tackle the identification crisis, Nepal Police has begun collecting DNA samples from relatives of people reported missing. Families can provide samples through the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu or their nearest district police office. Officials said more than 1,000 unidentified bodies have been buried after DNA samples were collected.

Meanwhile, Information and Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina said the government was working to ensure that relief supplies reached flood victims without shortages or mismanagement. Temporary accommodation has been arranged in schools and hospital buildings, while authorities are preparing longer-term resettlement plans and working to restore damaged roads, electricity and communication networks.

FRESH FLOOD HITS GORKHA

The recovery effort has also been complicated by fresh flooding. Early Sunday, the Namrung Khola River overflowed in Gorkha district, sweeping away four houses and a suspension bridge in Chumnubri Rural Municipality-4.

Residents managed to escape after noticing the approaching flood, and no casualties were reported. Authorities said the river may have been temporarily blocked near its source before suddenly releasing a surge of mud and debris.

The flooding also damaged two small hydropower projects, while the loss of the suspension bridge disrupted movement in the area. Residents along the Budhigandaki River, into which the Namrung Khola flows, have been urged to remain alert.

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With inputs from PTI