THE APEX TIMES
The Nepali Army said search-and-rescue flights were paused early Saturday because of conditions, as the confirmed death toll from flash flooding continues to rise and many people remain unaccounted for.
Flash flooding in Nepal has killed more than 600 people, according to the Nepali Army, and left about 3,000 others missing as of early Saturday. The continuing rise in the number of fatalities and the large count of unaccounted-for residents underscore how difficult it has been to conduct timely searches across flooded and damaged areas.
In remarks relayed by CBS News, a Nepali Army spokesperson said helicopter operations were on hold early Saturday. The pause, the spokesperson said, was tied to weather conditions, which the Army cited as preventing safe air operations and slowing aerial scanning of impacted zones.
The decision to suspend helicopter flights affects how quickly responders can reach remote or hard-to-access locations. In many major flooding disasters, helicopters are used to locate survivors, assess damage, and coordinate ground movement, but operations can be limited when visibility, wind, or storm activity makes flight unsafe.
With many people still reported missing, the Army and local authorities face a narrow window in which search teams can operate effectively. As days pass, the odds of finding survivors generally decline, while the focus often shifts toward expanding perimeter searches, recovering bodies, and supporting families trying to confirm what happened to relatives.
The Army spokesperson’s comments also indicate that the disruption is temporary, contingent on improved weather. Once conditions allow flights to resume, planners are expected to restart aerial operations to speed up identification of affected sites and to support ongoing rescue work.
The scale of the death toll and the continued uncertainty about missing residents are likely to intensify demands for updated information from officials, including clearer accounting of casualties and missing persons. For affected communities, the lack of confirmed outcomes can delay burial arrangements, local record-keeping, and access to government and humanitarian assistance.
