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Health authorities move the body of a person killed in massive flooding and landslides in Chitwan, Nepal, on the 30th (local time). / Reuters, Yonhap

As hundreds have died in Nepal's catastrophic flooding, local authorities in Nepal's Chitwan district temporarily conducted mass burials of unidentified bodies, drawing criticism for disregarding Hindu funeral traditions, the Associated Press reported on the 30th (local time).

In Chitwan alone, authorities temporarily buried around 100 bodies recovered from rivers on the 29th. More than 250 bodies are currently awaiting identification.

In Nepal, where more than 80% of the total population is Hindu, bodies are traditionally cremated along riverbanks in the presence of family members according to Hindu customs.

For this reason, some residents and bereaved families criticized the move, arguing that "a dignified funeral rite was denied."

Ruby Chaudhary, who has two missing family members, raised her voice, saying that burials should not proceed without family consent and that the deceased deserve to be treated with dignity.

Former Nepalese Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai also pointed out on X (formerly Twitter) that "disposing of unidentified bodies before search and rescue operations are completed is inappropriate," adding that "if morgues are lacking, authorities should have mobilized emergency resources to set up temporary morgues or secure refrigeration facilities."

In response, authorities explained that "it was an unavoidable temporary measure due to health concerns and a lack of capacity."

Nepalese Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai explained at a press briefing that day that "temporary burials were carried out in accordance with internationally recognized disaster management guidelines, including those of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)," adding that "families can later retrieve the bodies and perform traditional rites once identities are confirmed by cross-checking records."

                                                                                                             Park Jin-sook