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In the neighboring country Nepal, after the glacier burst and heavy torrential rains, the catastrophic floods in Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers have caused huge devastation. There has been huge loss of life and property in this horrific natural disaster and hundreds of foreign tourists and pilgrims have gone missing. Amidst this tragedy, the Government of India and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) are fully active and are carrying out operations on a war footing to rescue the stranded Indian citizens.
In the latest press briefing regarding the situation, the Ministry of External Affairs has clarified that more than 400 Indian citizens stranded on the Tibet (Chinese border) side are completely safe, while about 320 Indian citizens in the flood affected areas have not been directly contacted yet and the search is going on.
Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, has shared detailed information on the Nepal flood crisis and the situation of Indian citizens.
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Indians stranded towards China/Tibet completely safe: The Ministry of External Affairs said that more than 400 Indian citizens who had gone for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and border areas are present in safe places on the Chinese border (Tibet region). Of these, constant contact has been maintained with the citizens present on Darchen, Hilsa, Jilong City and Saga route and coordination is being done with Chinese and Nepali authorities for their safe evacuation.
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Efforts continue to contact 320 Indian citizens: About 320 Indian citizens in flood-hit Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts are yet to be contacted due to network collapse and landslides. These include about 73 Indian workers working on the Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project and pilgrims from various states (Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala etc.) who traveled through tour operators.
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Rescue operation expedited: So far, more than 85 Indian tourists, including 21 citizens of Tamil Nadu, have been evacuated safely. Many rescued Indians have been brought to New Delhi by special aircraft.
According to Nepal Police and disaster management officials, the flash flood occurred after a high glacier located on the Tibet-Nepal border collapsed and blocked the flow of the Lhende tributary.
The deluge first caused massive damage to infrastructure, bridges, roads and hydropower projects near Timure and Rasuwagadhi. So far, more than 450 people have lost their lives in this disaster and more than 1,400 people have been injured and displaced. In many inaccessible hilly areas, there are huge difficulties in establishing connectivity due to washed away roads and telecom towers being down.
Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has said that it is India’s top priority to bring back its citizens stranded in Nepal safely and to provide all possible humanitarian assistance to the neighboring country.
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Relief consignment: So far, more than 47.5 tonnes of emergency relief material has been sent to Kathmandu through special aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
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Medicines and Food Packets: This humanitarian aid includes 8 tonnes of essential life-saving medicines, 1 tonne of ready-made food packets, tents, solar lamps and hygiene kits.
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NDRF on alert: Several teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been kept on standby in bordering Bihar and Uttar Pradesh so that they can be immediately deployed for ground rescue operations if needed.
In view of the floods and landslides in Nepal, a special 24-hour control room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi. Along with this, Indian Embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing have issued emergency helpline numbers for the affected citizens and their families:
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Embassy of India, Kathmandu (Nepal) Helpline:
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Embassy of India, Beijing (China) Helpline:
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Nepal Tourism Board Emergency Toll-Free: 1234 | Hotline: 1144
The Ministry of External Affairs has appealed to the families of the victims not to panic and contact the official helpline directly for any information or assistance. Indian officials are continuously working with Nepal Army, Police and Chinese authorities to ensure the safe return of every Indian to their homeland.