There is no body to bury, so the families carved one.
In Nepal, one week after flash floods swept away entire villages, thousands of people are still unable to find their dead. More than 4,500 remain missing, and only 1,100 bodies have been recovered from the waters. Unable to hold a traditional funeral, many families decided to carry out the ceremonies anyway, with figurines representing those who never returned.
Rescuers are still pulling workers from the tunnels of hydroelectric plants buried underground, although hope of finding survivors has nearly vanished. India, China, and the United Arab Emirates sent aid, but nothing can give these families back what they lost. All they have left is that small ritual: naming the absent, saying goodbye, and learning to live with an empty grave.
