Nepal, Sept. 4 -- More than a week after the catastrophic Himalayan tsunami that tore through the Nepal-Tibet border and swept away entire villages downstream across five districts, the country is coming to terms with the human and economic cost of the disaster.

The death toll from the disaster has reached 1,287, with more than 5,000 people still unaccounted for in Nepal and China.

While the response to last week's flood from foreign governments, multilateral agencies, and the international community has still centered on assistance and grants, the government, in a letter to the newly established UN-backed Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) this week, has claimed climate reparations.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told Kanti...