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Cremation news
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Nepal families hold symbolic cremations for flood victims without bodies. Rituals proceed as mass burials without consent spark frustration.
Background
Severe floods and mudslides in Nepal have left many dead and missing. With morgues overwhelmed and bodies unrecognizable or unrecovered, authorities have resorted to mass burials to prevent disease, but some families, unable to find their loved ones, are performing symbolic cremations as part of Hindu tradition.
How it unfolded
- recentlyFloods and mudslides hit Nepal, causing numerous deaths and missing persons.
- Sep 3, 2026Families begin holding symbolic cremations for missing loved ones at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.
- Sep 5, 2026Reports indicate that local officials have taken DNA samples and photos of corpses for later identification, and bodies identified after mass burial could be exhumed.
Who’s saying what
- Officials
- Mass burials are necessary to prevent the spread of disease.
- Public
- Some relatives express frustration that mass burials are carried out without family consent.