Three bodies recovered from Gandak in UP after Nepal floods

Three bodies were recovered from the Gandak river in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district on Friday, apparently having drifted into Indian territory from flood-ravaged Nepal, officials said on Saturday.

The bodies were spotted near barrage pier number 3 in the Madanpur-Sukrauli area of Khadda by monitoring teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). They were subsequently pulled out of the water, said Khadda Station House Officer Sandeep Singh.

Authorities have shared information about the recovered bodies with officials in neighbouring districts of Nepal to help establish their identities, which remain unknown.

Apart from the bodies, a range of items including vehicles, household goods, gas cylinders, drums, furniture, logs, and other debris have been seen floating in the Gandak and washing up along its banks. Many villagers have gathered along the river to retrieve these articles. The administration has appealed to people not to enter the river for this purpose and to instead inform officials about any objects spotted floating downstream.

These recoveries come a day after four bodies, found in a severely decomposed condition, were recovered from a river in the neighbouring Maharajganj district. Authorities there are also in contact with the Nepal administration to determine if those bodies are among persons reported missing after the floods and landslides.

The flash floods in Nepal began on August 26 following a sudden surge in the Bhotekoshi river in the Rasuwa region. The floodwaters subsequently flowed into the Trishuli and Gandak river systems, affecting downstream areas.

The Kushinagar administration has stepped up monitoring of the Gandak and its banks, with SDRF, police, and other teams keeping a close watch on vulnerable locations. While the immediate threat of flooding has eased with the declining flow, authorities continue to monitor the situation.