Nepal’s government has called off the search for thousands of people still missing after devastating floods swept across the country in August.
The office of Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the search-and-rescue mission would now end.
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Authorities will shift their focus to rehabilitation and reconstruction, including rebuilding roads and bridges severed by the floods on 26 August.
Relatives of those feared dead have staged protests and vigils across Nepal, demanding stronger and more effective search operations.
A further 13,795 people were rescued.
“We are moving from the search and rescue phase to the search and rehabilitation phase,” said Phanindra Paudel, head of the National Emergency Operation Centre.
Candles are lit during a vigil in the capital Kathmandu to remember those affected by the floods
Mr Paudel said officials were examining the legal process for declaring missing people dead, a step that would allow families and relatives to settle insurance claims, bank accounts and other legal matters.
“We are initiating due processes to complete required legal formalities,” Mr Paudel said.
Dharam Raj Uprety, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said authorities would no longer conduct active searches for bodies.
They would, however, retrieve any human remains, belongings or other valuables discovered during rehabilitation work.
Emergency rescue operations would continue if circumstances required them, Mr Uprety added.
Read more:’Everything is lost’ – Inside Nepal’s devastated flood zoneHow a glacier collapse may have caused Nepal-Tibet floods
The floods wiped out 12 hydroelectric projects, along with roads, bridges, farmland and settlements.
Officials have said billions of euro will be needed for the initial recovery and rehabilitation of the thousands of people forced from their homes by the disaster.
Additional reporting Reuters
