KATHMANDU: The death toll from the devastating Bhotekoshi flood has climbed to 1,344, while 4,898 people, including Nepali and foreign nationals, remain unaccounted for, according to Nepal Police.

Police said the missing include 2,448 Nepali citizens, with 2,930 men and 482 women reported missing. In addition, 1,350 people have been reported missing through telephone contacts, police said.

Among foreign nationals, 698 people—274 men and 384 women—have been reported missing following the disaster.

Police said 1,344 bodies have so far been recovered from flood-affected areas. The recovered remains include 52 children, 33 girls, 269 women and 489 men, while 501 are partial remains that have yet to be fully identified.

Of the recovered bodies, 1,030 have already been buried or otherwise managed, according to police.

Meanwhile, a total of 8,631 people affected by the floods have been rescued so far. Among them, 7,387 are Nepali citizens and 1,244 are foreign nationals.

As many as 3,655 flood-affected people are currently taking shelter at various holding centres, as authorities continue relief and rehabilitation efforts in the affected areas.

Police have also intensified efforts to identify the recovered bodies through DNA profiling. So far, 2,232 DNA samples have been collected, including 1,260 samples from deceased individuals and 972 from their relatives.

Authorities have also uploaded details and photographs of 1,270 unidentified individuals to the Nepal Police website to facilitate identification and help families locate their missing relatives.

Search, rescue and identification efforts remain ongoing in the flood-hit areas, with security agencies and other concerned authorities continuing operations to locate missing people and manage the recovered remains.