Men allegedly drag Nepal flood victim's body by her hair to steal earrings

Two men in Nepal have been arrested after a video allegedly showed them removing gold earrings from the body of a woman found dead in floodwaters.

A 41-second clip, released on X by Nepal Police on Friday (August 28), quickly spread on social media, showing the men dragging the woman's body using wooden planks and her hair. 

They then appear to remove the earrings from both ears and set them aside.

Several bystanders can be seen nearby, with some filming the incident on their phones.

The post has been viewed more than 1.1 million times as at Friday afternoon.

The video and circumstances surrounding the woman's death could not be independently verified by Indian news outlet India Today.

Nepal Police confirmed in the same post on X that the two men had been arrested.

The police, however, did not provide further details about the men's identities or where the incident took place, according to The Indian Express.

The arrests came amid devastating flooding in Nepal.

A wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river along the Himalayan border between Nepal and China's Tibet on Wednesday.

The mudslide slammed into Gyirong port in Tibet and into Nepal, triggering high-speed flash floods that washed away entire roads and power projects and inundated villages.

The death toll had risen to more than 350, with more than 1,500 people still missing as at Thursday evening.

@asiaone The two men were arrested near a transport hub at Bharatpur Metropolitan City Ward 1, Nepal. #news #Nepal #Flood #Crime #Theft #Police ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

'Any humanity left?': Commenters

The men's alleged actions sparked widespread outrage on social media.

Users on X condemned the alleged theft, with one saying that taking jewellery from the dead was "an insult to humanity" and calling for those responsible to be held accountable under the law. 

Another commenter questioned whether the men had any humanity left, saying they were "worse than animals" for robbing bodies instead of helping the police and military search for survivors. 

One X user said: "Easily one of the worst things I watched with my own eyes." 

Another user thanked security personnel and the police for taking swift action against those involved.

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helmy.saat@asiaone.com