KATHMANDU: At least 5,384 people affected by the devastating Bhotekoshi floods have received medical treatment, as authorities continue to intensify search, rescue, relief and health-care operations in the disaster-hit areas.

The floods have caused extensive loss of life and property, displaced thousands of people and left a large number of residents injured or still unaccounted for.

Data released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) shows that 304 flood-affected people are currently receiving treatment at different hospitals.

The security forces have also been providing medical services in the affected areas. The Nepal Army has treated 3,206 people, while the Armed Police Force, Nepal has provided health-care services to another 1,874 people.

The authority said medical treatment remains a major component of the emergency response, alongside efforts to rescue people stranded by the floods, distribute relief supplies and move survivors to safer locations.

More than 5,000 people remain uncontacted

Despite the large-scale rescue effort, 5,083 people remain uncontacted, according to NDRRMA.

Authorities have so far rescued 12,038 people from flood-affected areas. More than 3,000 rescued individuals are currently staying at various holding centres, where arrangements are being made for their basic needs.

NDRRMA spokesperson Shanti Mahat said authorities are working to ensure that people temporarily staying in safe locations receive essential services, including food, medical care and other basic necessities.

Security agencies and other government bodies have been deployed to continue the search for people who have yet to establish contact with their families or authorities.

The search has been complicated by the extensive destruction caused by the floods, including damaged roads and bridges, debris and difficult access to some affected settlements.

Death toll reaches 1,290

The number of bodies recovered from the disaster-hit areas has also continued to increase as search teams reach previously inaccessible locations.

By Thursday evening, authorities had recovered 1,290 bodies from Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan, Gorkha, Tanahun, Nawalparasi East and Nawalparasi West.

Nepal Police have also incorporated into the official records bodies recovered in India that are believed to be connected to the Bhotekoshi flood disaster.

According to Nepal Police Central Spokesperson Abinarayan Kafle, the recovered victims include 34 boys, 45 girls, 250 women and 427 men.

A further 532 sets of partial human remains have been recovered, reflecting the severity of the destruction caused by the floodwaters.

The records also include two people who died while receiving treatment in hospitals.

The recovery of a large number of incomplete remains has made victim identification particularly difficult. Authorities are continuing efforts to identify the deceased and provide information to families whose relatives remain missing.

Search for missing people continues

With more than 5,000 people still uncontacted, authorities have stepped up search-and-rescue operations across the affected districts.

Security personnel are continuing to search damaged settlements and other high-risk areas for survivors and missing people. Teams are also involved in recovering bodies, clearing debris and supporting relief operations.

The destruction of transport infrastructure has created additional difficulties for rescuers. Several roads and bridges have been damaged or washed away, leaving some communities difficult to reach by road.

In locations where ground access remains restricted, helicopters and other specialised resources are being used to transport rescue personnel, survivors, food, medicines and other essential supplies.

Medical teams are simultaneously treating people injured or affected by the disaster, both in hospitals and through health services deployed in the field.

Thousands of rescued people still need assistance

Rescuing people from danger is only one part of the emergency response. Authorities are also facing the difficult task of caring for thousands of people who have survived the floods but cannot yet return home.

More than 3,000 rescued people are currently staying at holding centres. Many have been displaced from their homes and require continued access to food, shelter, health services and other essential supplies.

The government and security agencies are therefore working to maintain services at these centres while continuing rescue operations elsewhere.

For families whose relatives remain uncontacted, however, the search remains the most urgent concern.

Authorities are continuing to mobilise security personnel and other response agencies to locate missing people and establish contact wherever possible.

Response shifts towards recovery

The scale of the disaster means that the emergency response is now extending beyond immediate rescue operations.

Alongside the search for missing people and treatment of the injured, authorities must manage the identification and handover of recovered bodies, provide continued assistance to displaced communities and begin restoring damaged infrastructure.

The destruction of roads, bridges, homes and other public infrastructure is expected to complicate the recovery process, particularly in remote and mountainous areas.

For now, however, authorities remain focused on saving lives, finding those still missing and ensuring that survivors receive essential support.

With 12,038 people rescued, 5,384 receiving medical care and more than 5,000 still uncontacted, the Bhotekoshi disaster remains a major humanitarian emergency.

Search-and-rescue teams, security personnel, medical workers and other government agencies are continuing operations as authorities seek to locate missing people, support displaced survivors and bring the humanitarian crisis under control.