Kathmandu, Aug 28: Nepal Police said they had arrested two men for allegedly stealing gold earrings from the body of a woman who was swept downstream into the Narayani River during devastating floods in the country.

After a video showing the incident went viral on social media and sparked widespread outrage, police arrested the suspects after identifying them through an examination of the video. The footage showed two men pulling the woman’s body from the river before allegedly removing earrings from both her ears.

Nepal Police later shared a video, saying that the men allegedly involved in stealing the earrings from the dead woman had been taken into custody. A police official from the District Police Office, Chitwan, Suraj Budha, said the duo were arrested on Thursday.

According to a statement from the District Police Office, Chitwan, Madan Bhujel, 25, and Umesh Chaudhary, 38, both temporarily residing at Bharatpur Metropolitan City, in southern Chitwan district, were arrested near Pokhara Bus Park of the city.

Police also shared the video of the alleged theft and informed the public that the suspects had been arrested. In the viral video previously shared on social media, two men can be seen using wooden planks and the woman’s hair to pull her body out of the water. They then appear to remove earrings from both ears and place them aside. Several people can be seen standing around the scene, with some recording the incident on their phones.

Chitwan Police said their investigation established that the body had been swept away by the deadly floods that wreaked havoc in parts of the country and was carried into the Narayani River in the southern plains.

Police described the incident as an inhuman act at a time when people are suffering from the disaster. The arrests came as Nepal continues a massive search-and-rescue operation. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 478 people had been confirmed dead in the disaster by Friday noon, while 977 remained out of contact.

Meanwhile, Nepali authorities on Friday issued a fresh warning about the risk of another flood, stating that they had received a report of a lake outburst in the Tibetan region of China that could trigger fresh flooding in Nepal.

Gandhinagar, Aug 28: At least 23 people linked to Gujarat were listed as missing or uncontactable in the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) and district emergency centre records on Friday, following devastating flash floods near Nepal’s border with Tibet, with several of them travelling on the Kailash Mansarovar route through Kerung.

The list — as of 12:54 p.m. — includes Indian-origin citizens of the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as residents of Gujarat and people based overseas.

One person initially reported uncontactable, Roma Intwala of Valsad, has since been confirmed safe in Nepal, according to the state records.

Among those on the list are Ahmedabad residents Kinnari Patel and Mihir Patel, who travelled on August 23 with Richa Tours Pvt Ltd for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Kerung.

Their last contact was recorded at 4:51 a.m. on August 26, and both remained untraceable.

From Anand, Bimalkumar Patel and Jaimina Patel, who travelled on August 16 through Namaste Nepal Trekking and Research Hub, were also listed as not found. Both are described as US citizens of Indian origin.

Another case concerns Ashok Kapadi from Ahmedabad who was travelling with Samrat Tours and Travels for the Kailash Mansarovar route. He was last contacted at around 8:30 a.m. on August 26, when he was reportedly about to reach the China border immigration centre.

The list also includes Rajkot-based Jay Kotecha, whose case was reported missing at the SEOC, and so are Paresh Patel, Jyoti Patel and Minaxi Ramani, all linked to Surat.

Paresh and Jyoti, who reside in the US, were travelling with Hills & Trills Tour, Mumbai, and were last contacted around 8:10 a.m. on August 26.

Minaxi Ramani was also travelling on the Kailash Mansarovar route and is understood to reside in Mumbai. Dinesh Patel, an Amreli native and US citizen, was reported missing by a contact in Ahmedabad.

Umesh Patel, Akansha Patel and Ishan Patel, all linked to Kheda, were travelling from Delhi to Nepal by air. The records stated that no contact has been established with them after August 25.

Umesh and Akansha are Canadian citizens, while Ishan is an American citizen. Shilpa Patel, also linked to Kheda, was reported uncontactable by Mukti Patel.

She travelled on August 26 from Delhi to Nepal by flight and is listed as a US citizen. Her residence was given as Dhramaj in Anand district.

From Gandhinagar, Bhavinkumar Raval was reported missing while travelling with Kailash Journeys via Kyirong. His last contact was recorded at around 5 a.m. on August 27. He is an Australian citizen and is originally from Gandhinagar.

Three other Gandhinagar-linked cases involve Amita Amin, Tejal Patel and Jitendra Patel, all US citizens travelling for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nepal Trekking Planner. Their last known location was recorded as the Bagmati area near the Friendship Bridge.

The state records also include Chauhan Babulal, also known as Gomtibapu, from Jafrabad in Amreli. According to the information provided to authorities, he left Jafrabad for Ayodhya on August 10 and was due to travel to Nepal with a group.

His phone was reportedly unreachable from August 11. His record mentions travel through Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Company. Two further cases from Anand concern Padma Patel and Jagdish Patel, both linked to Jalundh in Khambhat taluka.

Jagdish had travelled on August 22 with Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Company for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The list also names Bina Parikh, who is based in Ahmedabad and has an overseas residence in Queens, New York.

She travelled on August 21 with Trekking Planner Travel Agency. Her family told authorities that no contact had been established since August 24.

Poonam Thakkar, who travelled on August 25 with Himalayan Glacier, was also reported uncontactable. She is recorded as holding US and Canadian citizenship.

The Valsad case involving Roma Intwala stands out from the others because authorities subsequently established that she was safe in Nepal. The state record says the Valsad Mamlatdar was informed of her safety.

The disaster struck the Rasuwa district near the Nepal-China border on Wednesday, with the Rasuwagadhi crossing and surrounding areas among the worst affected.

The route is a major overland gateway for private Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimages, with travellers moving from Kathmandu through Rasuwa and Timure before crossing into Tibet through the Gyirong, or Kerung, border.

The flash floods swept away roads, bridges and other infrastructure along the route, leaving large numbers of travellers cut off from communication.

The Indian government has been monitoring the situation through the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

The Centre said there was no need for panic and that reports of missing Indian tourists are being followed up by the MEA and the embassy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Nepal PM Balendra Shah and conveyed his condolences over the loss of lives in the floods.

Mumbai, Aug 28: Leaders across party lines on Friday expressed concern over the devastating floods in Nepal and called for intensified rescue and relief efforts, particularly for Indians stranded in the neighbouring country.

BJP’s Maharashtra MLA Ram Kadam said helping a neighbouring country during a crisis has been a long-standing tradition in India. He also highlighted the concerns of Indians who had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Yatra and were now stranded.

“Protecting one’s neighbour and supporting one’s neighbour in times of crisis has been a tradition in India since ancient times. Many Indians also went there for the Kailash Yatra and are stranded. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is a very sensitive person. He personally spoke with them to discuss how to bring them back. The Indian government is also making efforts. Some people from Maharashtra are stranded, and the Maharashtra government is also making efforts,” he said.

Congress Uttar Pradesh President Ajay Rai described the situation in Nepal as unfortunate and urged the Centre to send additional relief material to assist those affected.

“The tragedy that has occurred in Nepal is very unfortunate, and we all stand with Nepal. I would urge the Government of India to send as much relief material as possible there so that the people there can be helped,” he said.

Congress MP Imran Masood expressed concern over the disaster and the possibility of further flooding. Responding to reports about China’s alert regarding another possible flood in Nepal, he said: “May God make things better. May Allah ensure that nothing unfortunate happens.”

Shiv Sena-UBT spokesperson Anand Dubey said the scale of the disaster was deeply distressing and emphasised the close ties between India and Nepal.

“It is very tragic and sad news that a huge natural disaster, a tragedy, has hit our neighbour Nepal. According to the information received so far, more than 400 people have died, and around 1,000 people are missing, including many people from India as well. So first, we stand with them,” he said.

Dubey also appreciated the efforts of the Indian Army and Air Force in relief and rescue operations and said India and Nepal shared deep familial and economic ties.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said the floods had caused extensive damage and that several Indians, including tourists from Maharashtra, were missing or stranded.

“A major flood has hit Nepal, causing extensive damage, with many people losing their lives and several others missing. Rescue and relief operations are underway, and some tourists from Maharashtra and other parts of India are stranded there. The state government is making efforts to bring the stranded Maharashtra tourists back safely,” he said.

DMK spokesperson T.K.S. Elangovan said party MP Dayanidhi Maran had already written to the External Affairs Minister, urging the government to locate people who remained unaccounted for and take necessary action.

“Nepal is another country and not part of India, so the External Affairs Ministry has to intervene and do something. That is what our MP Dayanidhi Maran had written to the minister,” he said.

West Bengal Minister Shankar Ghosh said coordinated efforts were being made to rescue people in Nepal, including Indian tourists and those who had travelled there for religious purposes.

“The government is making every possible effort to rescue the people of Nepal, as well as those who went to Nepal as tourists or to visit Manas. There are joint efforts being made from all sides, and we are hopeful that we will receive some information,” he said.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand expressed grief over the deaths and conveyed condolences to the families of the victims. He also raised concerns over reports that Nepal may not have been adequately informed about the possibility of the disaster.

“The incident in Nepal is very sad. The Samajwadi Party expresses deep grief over the incident and conveys its condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones,” he said, calling the situation a major international tragedy.

Trinamool Congress MP Sougata Ray said the exact extent of the loss of life was still unclear and expressed concern over Indians who remained stranded or unaccounted for.

“The incident in Nepal is a very tragic and difficult disaster. It is still not clear how many people have lost their lives. Many Indian citizens are stranded there, and their families have not been able to receive any information about them. More than 300 people from Bengal are reportedly unaccounted for there. So, this is a very major tragedy,” he said.

Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut also urged the Centre to provide large-scale assistance to Nepal and rescue stranded Indians.

“Many people from India are stranded and missing, including more than 60 people from Maharashtra. Given the extent of this devastation, I believe the Government of India must step in and provide large-scale assistance to rescue and support everyone — not just our citizens, but all the people of Nepal,” Raut said.