In Nepal's Bharatpur, The River Is Still Giving Up Its Dead | Reporter's Diary
Following devastating floods in Nepal, rescue teams are recovering hundreds of bodies from the Narayani River in Bharatpur. The report highlights the logistical and emotional challenges of identifying victims as local mortuaries reach capacity.
Why it matters
This story underscores the humanitarian crisis and the severe impact of extreme weather events on infrastructure and public health in South Asia.
We left Kathmandu at six in the morning.It should have been a four-hour journey to Bharatpur. It took us eight. The highway connecting Kathmandu to Chitwan has been badly damaged by the floods, so we had to take the longer route, winding through parts of the Mahabharat range before descending again to the plains.But by the time we reached Bharatpur, the road was no longer the story. The river was.The Narayani.This is where the floodwaters have carried the dead, downstream from the Bhote Koshi, through the Trishuli, and into the Narayani. And on Day 9, the river is still giving them up.We watched as Nepali police personnel went out into the river on boats, searching the water and its rocky banks.They returned with two bodies.One in a blue body bag.
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