Nepal, Sept. 11 -- Eleven days after the devastating Bhotekoshi flood, a 64-year-old woman was rescued from her house that had been pushed entirely off its base and 100 metres up a hillside, nearly entirely buried in mud. Days earlier, her family had already performed a symbolic kush (effigy) funeral for her and three other missing relatives.

This story of miraculous survival offers a sliver of hope to families across the disaster-hit areas. Yet, as rescuers continue to search sludge-filled tunnels, the harsh reality remains: around 5,300 people are still unaccounted for. Their families face difficult decisions. Continue waiting in hope? Conduct a ceremonial funeral? Many of the thousands of missing people may never be recovered. For the...