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 an 11-member rescue team with specialised equipment and 5.5 tonnes of essential medicines.”
The aircraft was sent as Nepal continues to grapple with devastating floods, with the death toll rising to 1,127, according to the Nepal Police on Wednesday. India’s relief efforts are being undertaken under its “Neighbourhood First” policy and as part of its Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) framework.
According to the Nepal Police, 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 recovered bodies, only 95 have so far been identified and handed over to their families.
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, including 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,” he said. Identified bodies are being handed over to their families, he added.
Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that specialised international tunnel rescue teams from India and China have been mobilised alongside the Nepal Army at critical hydropower sites following the catastrophic flash floods caused by the Bhote Koshi River.
Meanwhile, the number of Indian nationals rescued from disaster-hit regions of Nepal has reached 163, with five more people rescued since Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.
In an update posted on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also said that 151 Indian nationals had left China on Tuesday.
Detailing the ongoing field operations, the MEA 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 specialised equipment due to the difficult terrain, and marshy tunnel floors. Using innovative methods and improvised floats, the rescue personnel were able to advance deeper into the subterranean passages. The MEA said the efforts would continue on Wednesday to reach any individuals who may still be trapped inside.
On the medical and identification front, the Indian forensic team has expanded its operations in close coordination with its Nepalese counterparts.
According to the MEA, the team is conducting DNA examinations and analysis to expedite the processing of samples and streamline the identification of victims in Nepal.
-ANI
