NEW DELHI: A fifth Indian aircraft carrying emergency assistance has departed for Nepal with an 11 member specialised rescue team and 5.5 tonnes of essential medicines, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.
In a post on X, Jaishankar said, “The fifth Indian aircraft has departed for Nepal. It is carrying a 11 member rescue team with specialised equipment, and 5.5 tonnes 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 the Nepal Police, on Wednesday. The act of sending relief aircraft to Nepal falls under India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy and as part of its Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) framework.
As per the 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.
The 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.
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.
Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a specialised international tunnel rescue team from India and China have been mobilised alongside the Nepal Army at critical hydropower sites following the catastrophic Bhote Koshi River flash floods.
The number of Indian nationals rescued from the disaster-hit regions of Nepal has reached 163, marking the addition of five new individuals since Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on 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 space, limitations on the use of heavy specialised 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 on 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.
