Nepal’s weeklong Indra Jatra began Friday in Kathmandu as rescuers continue searching after the Aug. 26 floods, which killed 1,453 people; the disaster agency says 5,550 remain missing. More heavy rain is forecast through Sunday.
Devotees pulled a wooden chariot carrying the Kumari, a young girl revered by Hindus and Buddhists as a living goddess, through central Kathmandu as worshippers sought her blessing. Indra Jatra is observed mainly by the Newar community, honors Indra, the Hindu god of rain, and marks the end of the monsoon and rice-farming season; Dasain follows in October and Tihar, or Diwali, in November.
Authorities cautioned people living near rivers, and schools nationwide were closed Thursday and Friday. Flooding and landslides closed some major highways Friday, with no casualties reported. The missing include hundreds of foreign tourists; families of workers missing at a key power plant urged officials to speed up recovery efforts.
