288 Indians missing in Nepal flash flood: MEA
Rescue efforts intensified to locate 288 Indians who remain untraceable after a devastating flash flood in Nepal. Meanwhile, around 200 more Indians stranded on the Chinese side of the Nepal-Tibet border have sought help for evacuation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
The Government is coordinating with authorities in Nepal and China as the scale of the disaster continues to emerge. The missing include hydropower workers, pilgrims undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and tourist groups from several Indian States. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting with senior officials and India’s envoys in Kathmandu and Beijing, directing officials to make urgent efforts to establish the whereabouts and safety of Indians caught in the flood-hit region.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 73 Indian nationals working on the Trishuli One power project were among those currently uncontactable.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu is coordinating with the project authorities to obtain information about their status.
Several groups travelling for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra have also been affected. According to the MEA, two groups of 37 and 49 people from Tamil Nadu travelled through Samrat and Fly Everest travel agencies. Another group of 32 Indians from West Bengal had travelled to Timure in Rasuwa district with assistance from Samrat Travels.
The affected Indians also include 61 nationals from other states and a separate group of 33 people from Kerala.
Jaiswal said 21 Indian nationals from Tamil Nadu had already been rescued. He added that a number of pilgrims who had travelled for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra were stranded on the Chinese side and had requested assistance.
Around 200 Indians on the Tibet side have sought evacuation, according to the MEA. Of these, 95 are in Garchan and are moving towards the Nepal border, while four are in Geelong city and 13 are in Zutulpuk.
Officials stressed that the situation remains fluid, with communication and access to several flood-affected areas disrupted. Indian authorities are maintaining contact with their counterparts in both Nepal and China to coordinate rescue and evacuation operations.
India has also stepped up humanitarian assistance to Nepal, which has suffered extensive damage from the floods. More than 260 people were killed in the disaster, while bridges, roads and hydropower infrastructure were damaged or swept away.
On Thursday, India sent a second consignment of 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material to Nepal aboard a military transport aircraft. This followed an earlier shipment of 10 tonnes dispatched on Wednesday.
The relief consignments include temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps, medicines and food packets. Additional supplies are expected to be sent in the coming days.
Jaishankar said India was working with the Nepalese authorities on both the rescue of Indian nationals and wider relief operations.
“India remains in close and continuous touch with the Nepalese authorities,” he said, adding that New Delhi would continue to support the ongoing relief efforts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier spoken to Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah and assured him of India’s full support in dealing with the disaster.
Modi said India stood in solidarity with the people of Nepal and was prepared to extend all possible humanitarian assistance. Indian teams, he said, were coordinating with Nepalese authorities on rescue and relief operations.
With rescue efforts continuing across the affected areas, the immediate focus remains on locating the 288 missing Indians, bringing those stranded on both sides of the border to safety and ensuring that additional relief reaches communities hit hardest by the floods.
