Nepal opens doors to international aid
The change came as the scale of the disaster became clear and pressure grew from countries seeking to locate their nationals
Nepal has agreed to accept specialised international search-and-rescue assistance in areas devastated by flash floods, reversing its earlier decision to rely exclusively on domestic rescue agencies.
Teams and technical support from India, China, Australia and South Korea will be allowed to assist ongoing operations, particularly in areas requiring specialist capabilities such as tunnel rescue, medical support, DNA analysis and forensic identification.
The decision was approved by an inter-ministerial coordination committee following an assessment by Nepal’s National Disaster Management Centre. The change came as the scale of the disaster became clearer and pressure grew from countries seeking help in locating their nationals who remain missing.
The floods caused widespread destruction along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems, sweeping away roads, bridges, buildings and other critical infrastructure.
Nepal’s authorities have reported a sharp rise in the number of people still missing. Foreign nationals account for a significant share of those unaccounted for, with Indian citizens representing the largest group, followed by nationals from the United States, Ukraine, Australia and the United Kingdom.
The disaster followed a glacier-related collapse that released a powerful mixture of water, ice, rocks, mud and debris into Himalayan River channels. At least 579 people have been reported dead in Nepal, while seven deaths have been recorded in China’s Tibet region.
India has offered a range of resources, including a tunnel-rescue unit, medical personnel and members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke with Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal and reaffirmed New Delhi’s readiness to support the rescue effort.
India has also supplied emergency materials, including portable power generators, food, dignity kits and water-purification tablets.
An 11-member contingent comprising doctors, paramedics and tunnel-rescue specialists has been deployed alongside additional relief supplies.
China and Nepal restarted rescue efforts in the flood-affected Himalayan region on Friday. A 21-member Chinese rescue contingent, accompanied by a search-and-rescue dog, reached the severely damaged Gyirong border crossing after flooding destroyed road connections to the area.
The team travelled through difficult mountain terrain, using ropes to cross forests and steep sections of the route. On reaching the border facility, rescuers found large parts of the complex destroyed.
Chinese authorities are also watching glacial lakes and other possible sources of additional flooding. A barrier lake upstream remains a concern, with officials warning that rising water could create another surge.
Rescue operations have faced additional dangers as floodwaters altered the landscape. At one point, rescuers were forced to temporarily withdraw after a lake created by the disaster began spilling into the Lhende Khola and Trishuli rivers.
Teams returned once the immediate danger diminished. Nepali officials are continuing to monitor two barrier lakes and have cautioned that flooding could remain a threat until the accumulated water drains away.
The disaster has affected more than 90,000 people, according to the Red Cross. The United Nations and partner agencies are also expanding emergency assistance, including supplies of food and clean water.
Families in Nepal and abroad continue to wait for information about relatives who disappeared when the floods struck. A number of foreign nationals had been travelling through the region for trekking and pilgrimage activities.
Amid the devastation, rescue teams have also recorded dramatic survivals. An eight-year-old boy, initially feared dead after his school was destroyed, was later found alive and reunited with his mother.
Nepal’s decision to accept foreign assistance reflects the increasingly complex nature of the rescue operation. Domestic agencies remain responsible for coordinating the response, but international teams can provide highly specialised expertise that may be difficult to deploy quickly at such a large scale.
Capabilities such as tunnel rescue, advanced medical assistance, DNA testing and forensic identification could prove particularly important as teams search for missing people and work to identify recovered remains.
The presence of foreign nationals among the missing also added a diplomatic dimension to the crisis. Several countries, including India, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, had expressed interest in sending assistance.
The policy reversal signals a move away from Nepal’s initial preference for conducting the rescue operation independently towards targeted international cooperation, while keeping overall command of the response in the hands of Nepali authorities.
