Nepal Mourns Flood Victims as Search for Thousands Missing Continues

Nepal has declared a national day of mourning for victims of devastating flash floods that have killed more than 1,300 people, as rescue teams continue searching for thousands still missing.

Government offices across the country and Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad flew the national flag at half mast on Monday, marking the 13th and final day of the traditional Hindu mourning period.

The floods struck on August 26 after an ice and rock avalanche triggered a massive surge of water and debris along the Bhotekoshi River system near the Nepal Tibet border.

Authorities say at least 1,355 bodies have been recovered, while nearly 5,000 people remain missing.

More than 13,000 people have been rescued from the affected areas.

Government programmes were scaled back on Monday because search and rescue operations are still continuing in some of the worst hit areas.

Rescue teams have been paying particular attention to hydropower projects, where hundreds of workers remain unaccounted for and some are believed to be trapped inside tunnels.

Nepali Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said teams were searching on the ground, in the air and inside tunnels, with the aim of ensuring no survivors remain stranded.

Four people have been rescued alive in recent days, including a 64 year old woman who was found inside her mud buried home more than 10 days after the disaster.

A Chinese national was also rescued from a hydropower tunnel.

Nepali security forces and international experts are taking part in the rescue effort, using excavators, shovels, radar and other equipment to search through mud and debris.

President Ram Chandra Paudel visited some of the devastated areas on Monday as families continued to wait for news of missing relatives.

China is also continuing recovery operations on the Tibetan side of the border, where dozens of people have died and hundreds remain unaccounted for.

Despite the national mourning, authorities say search and rescue operations will continue as they work to find anyone who may still be alive.