Fifty five more bodies, including those of four foreigners, have been found in Nepal nearly six weeks after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake devastated many parts of the country.
The bodies were pulled out from the rubble of flattened buildings in Langtang village of Rasuwa district by joint teams of police and army personnel.
Hundreds had gone missing after the April 25 temblor triggered landslides and avalanches in the area.
Personal belongings of victims helped rescuers identify two Spaniards and one person each from Germany and the Netherlands among the bodies found on Friday and Saturday.
The foreigners were identified as Elsner Leonie from Germany, Leitner Geb Wieger from Netherlands, Maria Isabel Ortiz from Spain – all women – and Miguel Angel Pizarro from Spain. The other 51 victims were Nepalese.
"Some bodies were decomposing due to environmental exposure while others were believed to have been eaten by vultures beyond recognition," police official Pravin Pokharel told The Himalayan Times.
The bodies of many victims were identified by relatives from their clothes. The foreigners were identified with the help of documents such as passports.
Langtang, located north of Kathmandu near Nepal's border with Tibet, is popular among foreign trekkers. Avalanches and landslides destroyed the village, killing more than 100. Many more were reported missing.
Police and army teams are still clearing the region and more bodies are expected to be recovered in the coming days, officials said.
The April 25 quake and another big temblor on May 12 claimed more than 8,700 lives and injured over 22,000. Hundreds are still reported missing.
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.
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