Symbolic Funerals Held for Missing Flood Victims in Nepal

Families in Nepal have begun holding symbolic funerals for loved ones missing since catastrophic flash floods swept through the Himalayan region on August 26, as the death toll continues to rise and rescue teams search for survivors trapped in hydropower tunnels. The disaster, triggered by a high-altitude glacial collapse, has killed more than 1,200 people across Nepal and China's Tibet region, with thousands still unaccounted for. In the hard-hit district of Nuwakot, Hindu families gathered along the banks of the Trishuli River this week to perform rituals for the missing. A priest placed straw effigies representing the absent family members onto wooden pyres, covering them with offerings before setting them ablaze. In Hindu tradition, cremation is considered a vital final rite believed to provide spiritual release for the deceased. "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, who performed the ceremony for her husband. He had been traveling to China when the disaster struck. "I saw the news and called him. I called repeatedly, but he never picked up.