New Delhi: At least 288 Indian nationals remain missing in Nepal following the flash floods Wednesday, while another 200 Indians making the pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar are stranded on the Chinese side of the border, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Thursday.
“As per information available, there are 288 nationals who remain uncontactable. This includes 73 nationals working on the Trishuli-1 hydropower project. The communications line in that area has been disrupted, therefore it has been difficult to get in touch with people on the ground,” Randhir Jaiswal, the official MEA spokesperson said Thursday in a special briefing on the situation in Nepal.
Jaiswal added: “Two separate groups of 37 people and 49 people from Tamil Nadu who travelled for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra remain uncontactable. A group of 32 nationals from West Bengal were at the point where this disaster happened. A group of 61 nationals from different states and 33 nationals from Kerala are also uncontactable. These are the five major groups who comprise by and large the 288 people we are talking about. We are making all efforts to reach out to our people through the Nepalese authorities.”
So far India has been able to rescue 21 nationals as of 1 PM (IST) Thursday, explained Jaiswal, and these nationals are on their way to Kathmandu currently. The MEA spokesperson added that a number of persons of Indian origin, foreign nationals and potentially some Indian nationals who travelled to the country as a part of the Isha Foundation are also missing. Jaiswal underlined that India is standing “shoulder to shoulder” with Nepal and will respond to any and all requests from Kathmandu with regards to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
In the last 18 hours or so, India has dispatched two relief flights carrying 47.5 tonnes of relief material. The first flight which departed for Nepal late Wednesday evening carried 10 tonnes of relief material, specifically supply kits including tents and solar lamps. On Thursday morning, another flight carrying 37.5 tonnes of material, specifically 28.5 tonnes of supply kits, eight tonnes of medicines and one tonne of food supplies departed for Nepal.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal’s Prime Minister Balen Shah late Wednesday evening. Modi offered his condolences and promised to support Nepal in all its rescue and relief efforts.
On Thursday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, along with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held a call with Indian Ambassadors to China and Nepal, to coordinate New Delhi’s response to the tragedy.
The Ministry of External Affairs has set up a 24/7 control room in New Delhi, while the embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing have also set up emergency rooms to assist stranded Indian nationals.
Nepal has confirmed that at least 162 people have been killed in the flood that started Wednesday morning. The latest update from Nepal’s Tourism Board highlighted that at least 644 travellers, including 178 Indians, 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians and 35 Australians remain missing. These were a part of trekking groups travelling to the regions impacted by the flood.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that at least 100 of its nationals are missing. More than 5,000 Nepalese Army and Police personnel have been deployed in the rescue efforts so far, according to media reports.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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