At least 359 people have died in Nepal flash floods. India’s MEA confirmed 84 Indian nationals, including Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims, have been rescued while 290 remain uncontactable. India has dispatched 47.5 tonnes of humanitarian aid.
The devastating flash floods wreaked havoc across Nepal, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday stating that 84 Indian nationals have been rescued while 290 remain uncontactable as the Himalayan nation stepped up search, rescue and relief operations following the disaster that has claimed at least 359 lives.
According to the MEA’s latest update issued at 8 pm today, 63 workers of the Trishuli-I project and 21 people from Tamil Nadu have been rescued. The 21 Tamil Nadu nationals had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, while the 63 rescued workers were associated with the Trishuli-I project. The MEA said efforts were continuing to ascertain the whereabouts and ensure the safety of Indian nationals who remain uncontactable in the flood-affected areas.
Over 350 Dead, 900 Missing Across Eight Districts
The development comes as Nepal grapples with the aftermath of a major flash flood that struck the Rasuwa district on Wednesday morning, sending a powerful surge of water, sediment and boulders through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems. According to the latest update from Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), 359 bodies have been recovered, while 910 people remain missing or out of contact. The casualties have been reported from eight districts, with Chitwan recording the highest number of recovered bodies at 132, followed by Nawalparasi East with 82, Gorkha with 30, Dhading with 33, Nuwakot with 28, Tanahun with 22, Rasuwa with 17 and Nawalparasi West with 15.
The NDRRMA said the 910 people listed as missing or out of contact include 28 Nepal Police personnel, 44 Nepal Army personnel, 13 Armed Police Force personnel, 15 Customs Office personnel and four Immigration Office personnel. Rasuwa alone accounts for 161 missing or out-of-contact people, while one person has been reported missing in Nuwakot. The disaster has also affected foreign nationals, with 517 foreign citizens reported missing or out of contact, while 127 Nepali citizens living abroad who were visiting Nepal have also been listed.
Nepal Mounts Massive Rescue and Relief Operation
After visiting flood-hit Nuwakot, Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah said that the situation remained challenging and that the country’s state machinery was operating at “full capacity”. “The situation is still challenging. All state mechanisms are operating at full capacity. Right now, our first priority is to save the lives of each and every citizen, search and rescue of the missing, treat the injured and provide immediate relief to the affected families,” Shah said in a statement on Facebook.
The Prime Minister said 13,295 security personnel from the Nepal Police, Nepal Army and Armed Police Force had been mobilised for search and rescue operations. The deployment includes 7,250 Nepal Police personnel, 4,200 Nepal Army personnel and 1,845 Armed Police Force personnel.
Rescue and Immediate Relief Measures
Shah said rescue operations were also being carried out by both air and land, with 573 people rescued through 69 air flights today. Additional helicopters, including private helicopters, have also been mobilised under the government’s command and coordination system. Priority in aerial rescue has been given to the sick, pregnant and lactating women, children, senior citizens and people with disabilities, he said.
The government is also relocating stranded citizens and security personnel from affected areas, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, to safer locations. Temporary accommodation has been arranged in schools and public or community buildings for around 3,500 people.
For immediate relief, NPR 10 million each has been mobilised for Rasuwa and Nuwakot and NPR 5 million for Dhading. Ten trucks carrying relief materials, including noodles, biscuits, sleeping bags, mattresses and blankets, have also been sent to affected areas. Temporary relief camps have been established to provide food, drinking water and other essential services, while organisations including the Nepal Red Cross, Nepal Scout and Lions Club have been mobilised for relief and rescue.
India Sends 47.5 Tonnes of Emergency Supplies
India has also stepped up humanitarian assistance to Nepal. The MEA said earlier that two aircraft carrying emergency supplies had been sent to Kathmandu. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the assistance included medicines and food items, with India’s total emergency supplies reaching 47.5 tonnes.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that the second flight carried 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material, medicines and food packets. “A second flight has just taken off, carrying 37.5 tonnes of HADR material, medicines & food packets for Nepal. India remains in close and continuous touch with the Nepalese authorities. We will continue to strongly support the ongoing relief efforts,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.
India had earlier dispatched 10 tonnes of HADR assistance and essential medicines to support Nepal’s flood response.
Fresh Flood Warning as Upstream River Blocked
The ongoing rescue effort has been complicated by a warning of another possible major flood in the Bhotekoshi River. Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said information received from China through Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that the river had been blocked upstream at the site of Wednesday’s flooding, resulting in the formation of a lake that was continuing to rise and could potentially burst.
The NDRRMA said the obstruction in the Lhende River, approximately 18 kilometres upstream of the Rasuwagadhi border, had resulted in the formation of a lake covering around 0.11 square kilometres. “As there remains a risk of another major flood, all concerned parties in the lower coastal areas are urged to exercise necessary caution and remain highly vigilant,” the NDRRMA said.
The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology separately urged residents, passengers and rescuers along the lower banks of the Bhotekoshi River to remain in safe locations away from riverbanks and other risky areas.
Coordination for Foreign Nationals and Continued Operations
Meanwhile, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established an Emergency Response Team to coordinate search, rescue, information verification and consular assistance concerning foreign nationals affected by the Rasuwa flash flood.
The authorities continue to conduct search and rescue operations across the affected districts as efforts intensify to locate those still missing, assist stranded people and restore damaged infrastructure. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)