NEW DELHI, India, August 30: A total of 149 Indian nationals have been rescued amid ongoing relief operations following the catastrophic flash floods in Nepal.
In an official update, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) released a list of Indian nationals rescued from flood-hit regions of Nepal.
This comes as the total number of bodies recovered following the devastating flash floods in Nepal reached 794 as of 5:45 p.m. on Sunday, according to Nepal Police.
According to the updated data, the highest number of fatalities has been recorded in Chitwan with 264 deaths, followed by Nawalparasi East with 197, Nawalparasi West with 120, Gorkha with 61, Nuwakot with 52, Dhading with 50, Tanahun with 37 and Rasuwa with 13.
Earlier, Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) announced that, as of 1 p.m., 2,502 people remained missing as rescue operations continued across multiple affected areas.
Unidentified bodies are being stored at 21 hospitals nationwide while authorities work on identification procedures.
Of the total missing persons, NDRRMA stated that 933 are workers from regional hydropower projects, 592 are foreign nationals and 127 are Nepali citizens traveling with foreign groups.
Dozens of missing reports also include personnel from the Nepal Police, Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, Customs Office and Immigration Office.
Authorities reported that 239 injured individuals are receiving care or have been discharged, supported by six surgical medical teams deployed to the disaster zone.
Nearly 20,000 security personnel have been deployed, leading to 8,730 rescues by ground forces. Air crews have conducted 363 helicopter flights, airlifting 3,081 people, including 236 foreigners, and rescuing 279 individuals directly from a flooded hydropower tunnel in recent days.
India has also deployed a forensic team in Nepal to assist in analyzing DNA samples and identifying the mortal remains of victims of the recent flash floods.
According to the MEA, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava met with the Indian forensic team deployed in the flood-hit country.
“Ambassador Naveen Srivastava met members of the Indian Forensic Team deployed to Nepal. The team will work alongside their Nepali counterparts in analyzing DNA samples to assist in identifying the mortal remains of the victims of the recent flash floods,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
Srivastava also said the team had arrived on the fourth relief flight to Kathmandu and would work with Nepali counterparts to support the analysis of DNA samples from victims of the flash floods in Rasuwa.
“India will continue to strongly support the ongoing relief efforts of Nepal,” he said.
The Indian Embassy in Nepal also confirmed that Srivastava met members of the Indian forensic team, who will assist their Nepali counterparts with DNA analysis to identify the mortal remains of victims.
While India has provided relief supplies to the neighboring country, Nepal has sought additional support for forensic laboratories and rapid DNA analysis to identify more than 600 bodies recovered from the devastating floods.
The development comes after Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah said Saturday that the management of unidentified and unclaimed bodies was being carried out strictly under the Unidentified and Unclaimed Body Management Directives, 2026, to ensure DNA sampling and proper records before final rites are conducted for unidentified victims. (ANI)
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