Helicopters scour Nepal's shattered valleys as flood death toll climbs

A week after the catastrophic floods that hit Nepal on Aug. 26, the Trishuli River valley is still a disaster zone with no road links to the devastated high-altitude villages. Helicopters are the only means to deliver aid and retrieve bodies, as the terrain is littered with collapsed houses and crumpled infrastructure. Authorities report 1,252 fatalities and 4,216 missing persons, including many hydropower workers trapped in tunnel sites.

Rescue efforts focus on clearing mud-blocked tunnel entrances and searching for survivors, while the Nepali army has recovered two bodies from a tunnel mouth. Around 4,000 people are housed in temporary centres, where UNICEF highlights urgent needs for safe water and hygiene to prevent disease outbreaks.