Nepal flood death toll hits 1,384 as mothers struggle in shelters

Rising Death Toll

The combined death toll from flash floods and mudslides along the Nepal-China border has reached 1,384, with 5,519 people still missing 11 days after the disaster struck, according to official data from both countries released Sunday. Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said around 5,000 people remained missing within its borders, including 589 foreigners.

Chinese authorities reported 43 deaths and 519 missing in the southwestern Xizang Autonomous Region, with foreigners comprising 850 of the total missing across both nations.

Crisis in the Shelters

Thousands of displaced mothers are struggling to find female-friendly spaces to breastfeed, food timed to nursing schedules, and emergency access for complicated deliveries, the Kathmandu Post reported. The women also face cigarette smoke, alcohol fumes, and unhygienic conditions that have upset stomachs for both mothers and infants, with no vaccination facilities available for children in the camps.

"We are not getting food on time either. We are not getting enough to eat," a new mother identified only as Pariyar told the daily, adding that she fled her home in Trishuli when floods struck on Aug. 26 and now stays with dozens of strangers under one roof. Another mother, Sharmila Shrestha, said shelter residents are forced to feed heavy adult food to small children, stating: "If only we had a decent, proper place to stay. That would bring some peace of mind."

Medical Facilities Overwhelmed

The UN Population Fund estimates that approximately 4,430 pregnant women are living across 15 municipalities in the hardest-hit districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, with roughly 500 births expected in the coming month and 74 women potentially requiring emergency obstetric care. At Trishuli Hospital, the maternity ward has become an improvised crisis outpost where doctors have performed nine deliveries since the floods but struggle to treat rising cases of fever, reduced fetal movement and urinary tract infections, department head Basanti Pancha said.

Electricity remains unreliable at the facility and a generator serves as the only power source for surgeries, while landslides have turned what was previously a two-hour road trip to Kathmandu into an arduous journey of unknown duration. Roads and bridges throughout the region remain damaged, cutting off access to emergency care for women facing dangerous labor complications, Pancha added.