Key Takeaways:

• 195 reported missing, 30 reconnected, 2 confirmed dead; 162 still unaccounted
• Saptari (49) and Parsa (38) report highest missing numbers among eight districts
• Police and army personnel also among those missing; some later made contact
• Province mobilises food, clothing, medicines and funds for Rasuwa flood victims

RAUTAHAT, SEPTEMBER 2 While Madhes continues to search for 162 of its residents still unaccounted for after last week's devastating floods and landslides in Rasuwa, communities across the province have also launched relief drives for those affected by the disaster. According to the Madhes Province Police Office in Janakpur, 195 people from the province's eight districts were reported missing following the Rasuwa disaster. Of them, 30 have since made contact with their families, while two deaths have been confirmed. Saptari has reported the highest number of missing people at 49, followed by Parsa with 38, Bara 23, Sarlahi 18, Rautahat 13, Mahottari 10, Dhanusha seven and Siraha eight. Security personnel from Madhes deployed for rescue and relief operations in Rasuwa are also among those unaccounted for. Of the 10 police personnel initially reported missing, seven have made contact while three remain unaccounted for. Similarly, one of three Nepali Army personnel reported missing has been located, while two remain missing. Madhes searches for its people, sends relief to Rasuwa As families await information about their relatives, communities across Madhes have begun collecting relief materials for Rasuwa flood victims. Students, government employees, civil society members, businesspeople, intellectuals, social organisations and youths have been collecting food, clothing, drinking water, medicines and other essential supplies, with several groups travelling to Rasuwa with the collected materials. Employees of Gaur Eye Hospital Purena and the Gaur District Eye Association contributed two days' salary and deposited Rs 1,010,111 into the Prime Minister's Relief Fund, according to branch secretary Bachha Prasad Yadav. Paroha Municipality contributed Rs 500,000, while various donor organisations have also provided financial assistance. Family performs last rites without body Meanwhile, the family of Sonalaal Pandit of Raniganj Rahariya in Pokhariya Municipality-7, Parsa, performed his last rites using kusha after his whereabouts remained unknown for six days following the Rasuwa disaster. Relatives said the ritual was carried out in accordance with religious tradition after repeated searches failed to locate his body. The Rasuwa disaster has left hundreds of families in Madhes waiting for news of their relatives, while the province has simultaneously mobilised resources to support thousands of flood-affected people in Rasuwa.