New Delhi, 28 August (H.S.):

India has said it is extending all possible humanitarian, technical, medical and rescue assistance to Nepal, which has been severely affected by devastating floods. India’s objective is not only to deliver relief supplies but also to assist Nepal with search and rescue operations, medical aid and the restoration of connectivity in the affected areas. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), 320 Indian nationals remain unaccounted for. Twenty-one tourists from Tamil Nadu have returned to India, while 63 Indians working at the Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project have also been rescued.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the weekly media briefing on Friday that 21 Indian nationals who had reached Kathmandu from the flood-affected area arrived in Delhi today. All of them are from Tamil Nadu. The Indian Ambassador had met them in Kathmandu and enquired about their health and well-being. Meanwhile, 63 Indians working at the Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project have also been safely rescued. The government is making arrangements for their safe return to India. In addition, 96 Indian nationals who had been stranded on the Chinese side have safely reached Nepal by land. Efforts are now underway to evacuate them safely from Nepal and bring them back to India.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met at the airport today with a group of 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu who had been rescued from the floods in Nepal. He became emotional while listening to their accounts of the ordeal. Jaishankar thanked the Nepal Army headquarters and the Nepalese government for their efforts in carrying out the rescue operation.

According to the spokesperson, around 320 Indian nationals are currently unreachable or are being treated as missing. However, the ministry clarified that the situation remains fluid and that the figure could increase or decrease as different lists are reconciled. In addition, around 100 people of Indian origin are also out of contact. These may include individuals who had travelled for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage but hold the citizenship of countries other than India.

Around 400 Indian nationals are currently on the Chinese side and are reported to be safe. They remain in contact with their families. The Indian Embassy in Beijing is in regular contact with them as well as with local authorities and is working on arrangements for their safe evacuation.

According to MEA spokesperson Jaiswal, India has intensified its relief and rescue operations following the recent floods and natural disaster in Nepal. Two aircraft carrying relief material have already been dispatched, while preparations are underway to send a third aircraft on the evening of August 28. Following this consignment, India will have supplied Nepal with approximately 60 tonnes of relief material.

He said the first aircraft, which departed on the evening of August 26, carried around 10 tonnes of relief supplies, including temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps and medicines. The second aircraft, which departed at around 10:30 a.m. on August 27, carried 37.5 tonnes of relief material, including tents, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps, water pumps, kitchen sets, generators, medicines and food supplies. The next consignment, scheduled to be sent by air, will contain around 12 to 13 tonnes of relief material, including portable generators, dignity kits, food supplies, water-purification tablets and medicines. Priority has been given to essential items requested by Nepal.

India is also preparing to dispatch a tunnel rescue team at Nepal’s request. Before that, a reconnaissance team is being sent to Nepal to assess the situation in the affected areas and determine the type of equipment required for rescue operations. Based on its assessment, the main rescue team and necessary equipment will subsequently be deployed.

India has also offered to send a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with the required equipment, to the Nepalese government. The teams can assist in search and rescue operations and help deliver relief to affected people. India is awaiting a response from the Nepalese government.

India has also offered to send a medical team to Nepal. The team would assist in providing essential medical care to people affected by the disaster. India has further offered Bailey bridges to Nepal, along with technical teams that would help restore damaged roads and other vital connectivity links in flood-affected areas at the earliest. One Bailey bridge supplied by India is already available in Nepal and can be deployed for relief and rescue operations.

The Ministry of External Affairs’ control room is operating round the clock in India. The control rooms at the Indian embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing are also continuously monitoring the situation. Information is also being gathered through helplines to assist Indian nationals and their families.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar