Families in Nepal are conducting symbolic funeral rites for relatives missing after a devastating flash flood in the Himalayan region a week earlier. On August 26, a glacier collapse in the high mountains near the China-Nepal border unleashed icy water, rocks and debris, causing extensive loss of life. Rescue teams have recovered more than 1,000 bodies, while about 4,500 people remain missing.

After days of searching shelters and morgues, many families have begun religious rites for their missing relatives. Dolma Noyar Tamang said the ceremony for her husband was intended to free his soul; he had been travelling toward China during the disaster. She said she repeatedly called him after seeing news of the incident, but he did not answer.

Rescuers have not abandoned hope of finding survivors, particularly people believed trapped in tunnels at hydropower plants in the affected area. Bodies alone have been recovered from mud-blocked tunnels so far, while teams clear debris through excavation, drilling and blasting. Prime Minister Balendra Shah called the disaster a serious warning of mounting climate risks in the Himalayas.