New Delhi, India, September 2 (ANI): A fifth Indian aircraft carrying emergency assistance has departed for Nepal with an 11-member specialized rescue team and 5.5 tons of essential medicines, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said Wednesday.
In a post on X, Jaishankar said, “The fifth Indian aircraft has departed for Nepal. It is carrying an 11-member rescue team with specialized equipment, and 5.5 tons of essential medicines.”
The aircraft was sent at a time when the death toll from floods in Nepal has risen to 1,127, according to Nepal Police on Wednesday. The deployment of relief aircraft to Nepal falls under India’s “Neighborhood First” policy and is part of its Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) framework.
According to Nepal Police, a total of 45 bodies have been recovered from Rasuwa, 155 from Nuwakot, 59 from Dhading, 348 from Chitwan, 66 from Gorkha, 38 from Tanahun, 217 from Nawalparasi East and 190 from Nawalparasi West.
Nepal Police also reported that nine bodies have been recovered in India.
Of the bodies recovered, only 95 have so far been handed over to their families after identification.
A day earlier, Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah said in a Facebook post that the bodies of people who lost their lives in the floods and those who remain unidentified are being managed in accordance with the law and through scientific procedures.
“The government is managing only those bodies that are found in an unidentifiable condition, while preserving DNA samples and other evidence that could assist in their identification. The bodies are being managed with the assistance of the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force, Nepal. Identified bodies are being handed over to their families,” he said.
Further, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a specialized international tunnel rescue team from India and China has been mobilized alongside the Nepal Army at critical hydropower sites following the catastrophic Bhote Koshi River flash floods.
Meanwhile, the number of Indian nationals rescued from disaster-hit regions of Nepal has reached 163, with five new individuals added since Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs announced Tuesday.
In an update posted on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also noted that 151 Indian nationals left China on Tuesday.
Detailing ongoing field operations, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs outlined the challenging conditions faced by the 24-member Indian tunnel rescue team deployed at hydropower tunnels in Chilime. Operating in a high-risk environment, the team has had to contend with extremely restricted access, limitations on the use of heavy specialized equipment due to the difficult terrain, and marshy tunnel floors.
By employing innovative methods and improvised floats, rescue personnel were able to advance deeper into the subterranean passages. The MEA confirmed that these efforts will continue Wednesday in a bid to reach any individuals potentially trapped inside.
On the medical and identification front, the Indian forensic team expanded its operations in close coordination with Nepalese counterparts.
According to the MEA, the team is actively undertaking DNA examination and analysis to help expedite the processing of samples and streamline victim identification in Nepal. (ANI)
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