New delhi: India has reported that 275 of its nationals remain missing ten days after flash floods devastated regions along the Nepal-Tibet border. A total of 169 Indian citizens have been successfully rescued from the flood-stricken areas in Nepal, as stated by India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday evening.
According to Deutsche Welle, Jaiswal noted that in the recent rescue operation, three Indian nationals, including a five-year-old child, were saved from Trishuli Bazaar in Nepal. “Our Embassy in Nepal is assisting in their return to India by air,” Jaiswal shared on X, the social media platform. During a press conference in New Delhi, Jaiswal further disclosed that 1,907 Indian nationals have safely crossed into Nepal from China, with no Indian travelers currently stranded in the Tibet Autonomous Region, citing official Chinese sources.
Nepal’s official death toll from the catastrophic flooding stands at 1,294, with 5,053 individuals still unaccounted for. Rescuers have been engaged in a relentless search for survivors, especially within mud-filled hydropower tunnels where hundreds of workers are believed to be trapped.
On Saturday, New Delhi’s envoy to Kathmandu announced that an Indian tunnel rescue team, in collaboration with Nepal’s defense forces, has intensified their operations at the Chilime hydropower plant in Rasuwa. “The Indian tunnel rescue team working alongside the Nepali Army dug deeper into the Chilime tunnel yesterday, draining out water. A temporary track is also being constructed to facilitate the movement of more heavy equipment to the tunnel,” stated Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava. He also mentioned that medical personnel accompanying the Indian rescuers conducted a health camp for the local community.
India has been actively supporting Nepal with relief efforts, supplying nearly 95 tonnes of relief materials since the floods began impacting the country on August 26, Jaiswal reported.