Nepal floods: Jaishankar reviews rescue efforts, India sends 47.5 tonnes of relief

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar reviewed India’s relief and rescue efforts in flood-hit Nepal with MEA officials and missions in Kathmandu and Beijing. India has sent 47.5 tonnes of emergency supplies and is mobilising Bailey bridges to support rescue operations

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday held a meeting with officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing to discuss the relief and rescue efforts for Nepal in the wake of the deadly floods.

During the meeting, MEA officials informed about the relief supplies that will be sent to Nepal. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, and other officials were present during the meeting.

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Following the meeting, EAM Jaishankar said: “Discussed the relief and rescue efforts underway in Nepal today. Our Embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing provided an updated picture in respect of the status and well-being of Indian nationals. The concerned MEA Divisions apprised us of the further relief supplies to be sent to Nepal. We give highest priority to this issue.”

The meeting comes as catastrophic flash floods in Nepal’s Bhote Koshi River have led to the death of 469 people while 977 people remain out of contact.

Addressing a press briefing on the Nepal disaster here on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Jaiswal said that India will send Bailey bridges to assist Nepal in the rescue and relief efforts after the flash floods. He said that India has sent 47.5 tonnes of relief material to Nepal through two aircraft.

“Two aircraft with humanitarian assistance have been sent to Kathmandu. A C-130J aircraft took off yesterday (Wednesday) at around 8.30 p.m., carrying 10 tonnes of relief material, including temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps, medicines, etc. And then this morning, a C-17 aircraft departed with 37.5 tonnes of supplies, comprising 28.5 tonnes of relief items such as tents, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps, dewatering pumps, kitchen sets, gensets, etc, eight tonnes of medicines, and one tonne of food items,” he said.

“In total, across the two departures by air, India has sent 47.5 tonnes of emergency supplies aimed at supporting Nepal’s ongoing rescue and relief operations. Let me say that further assistance is also being considered. We are also mobilising Bailey bridges to assist in rescue and relief efforts,” he added.

The floods, believed to have been triggered by an avalanche on a transboundary river between Nepal and China upstream of the Bhote Koshi River, have left a trail of destruction along the riverbanks downstream, sweeping away several human settlements, roads, hydropower projects and transmission infrastructure, among other facilities.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), 469 bodies have been recovered from various districts, with the highest number — 178 bodies — recovered in Chitwan district, followed by 110 in Nawalparasi East. Likewise, 44 bodies were recovered in Gorkha, 37 in Nuwakot, 28 in Tanahun, 27 in Nawalparasi West, 23 in Dhading, and 12 in Rasuwa, the authority said.

Of the 977 people out of contact, 517 are foreign nationals. The MEA said on Thursday night that as many as 290 Indians remain out of contact in the aftermath of the deadly floods in the Bhote Koshi River. The United States said that approximately 90 Americans may have been affected by the floods in Nepal, while China said that nearly 100 Chinese nationals remain missing on the Nepali side.

Among those out of contact, 127 Nepalis residing abroad are also missing, according to the authority. The latest update also said that those out of contact include 28 Nepal Police personnel, 45 Nepal Army personnel, 13 Armed Police Force personnel, 15 Customs Office staff and four Immigration Office staff.

At least 73 people have been injured in the disaster, including 43 in Rasuwa, three in Dhading and 27 in Nuwakot, the authority said.