EAM receives 21 Tamil Nadu pilgrims rescued from Nepal

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday received 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu who were rescued from devastating floods in Nepal, even as the Indian Government continued efforts to establish contact with hundreds of Indians still stranded in the neighbouring country.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said he was moved after hearing the pilgrims recount their experiences and thanked the Nepal Government and the Nepali Army for their rescue efforts.

“Received a group of 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu who were rescued from the floods in Nepal,” Jaishankar said.

“Was moved to hear their experience firsthand. Thank the Nepali Army and Government for this rescue effort. Appreciate Embassy of India, Kathmandu’s facilitation of their smooth return to India,” he added.

Speaking to reporters at Delhi airport, Jaishankar said the government’s immediate focus remained on contacting all Indians who were in Nepal and had not yet been accounted for.

“We are still very much focused on contacting all the Indians who are there. We believe a little more than 300, the exact number keeps going up and down, about 315 Indians are still not being contacted,” he said.

The comments came as Nepal continued to grapple with the aftermath of catastrophic flash floods in the Bhotekoshi River area of Rasuwa.

According to an update issued by Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), the death toll had risen to 538 as of 3 pm local time on Friday, while 977 people remained missing.

The figures underline the devastating scale of the disaster as authorities continue search, rescue and relief operations in the affected areas following the catastrophic flooding on Wednesday.

Of the 538 bodies recovered so far, the highest number was recorded in Chitwan, where 221 bodies were recovered, followed by Nawalparasi East with 134.

Authorities recovered 46 bodies or human remains in Gorkha, 37 in Nuwakot, 33 in Dhading, 28 in Tanahun, 27 in Nawalparasi West and 12 in Rasuwa, according to the NDRRMA data.

The 977 people reported missing include foreign nationals, Nepali citizens living abroad who were visiting Nepal, security personnel and Government officials.

Foreign nationals account for 517 of those reported missing. Another 161 people were reported missing through the Rasuwa District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC).

The list also includes 127 Nepali citizens living abroad who were visiting Nepal, while 66 people were reported missing through the Makwanpur DEOC.

Indian authorities have been coordinating with their Nepalese counterparts and the Embassy of India in Kathmandu to locate and facilitate the return of Indian nationals affected by the floods.