New Delhi: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday reviewed the situation following the devastating floods in Nepal and said India was making urgent efforts to ascertain the safety and whereabouts of Indians stranded in the affected areas.
The death toll rose to at least 392 while 290 Indians remained non-contactable, even as emergency teams raced to trace survivors in the affected zones. Nepali soldiers used sniffer dogs to search for bodies buried under the debris.
Also read: India releases names of 63 Indian nationals rescued from Trishuli-I project in Nepal
The Ministry of External Affairs said that 84 Indian nationals have been rescued. According to MEA's latest update, 63 workers of the Trishuli-I project and 21 people from Tamil Nadu have been rescued. The 21 Tamil Nadu nationals had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra while the 63 rescued workers were associated with the Trishuli-I project.
India on Thursday sent a second consignment of relief material to flood-hit Nepal, with a military transport aircraft carrying 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance, medicines and food packets.
Jaishankar held a high-level meeting with the foreign secretary and other officials of the Ministry of External Affairs, which was also attended virtually by India's ambassadors in Kathmandu and Beijing. He also said the MEA was coordinating with various Union ministries, state governments, tour operators and other agencies to establish contact with Indians affected by the disaster.
The foreigners out of contact included Indians and others from Australia, Britain, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea and the United States, Nepal's tourism board said. Rasuwa, in northern Nepal, was the first district to be affected, but deaths were reported as far south as Chitwan, on the border with India.
Track live updates of Nepal flash floods
As per the US Geological Survey, the disaster was caused by a glacial collapse that triggered a vast flow of icy debris. Fears of further flooding remain, with water trapped by immense piles of debris blocking the valley. Kathmandu's Flood Forecasting Division issued a "special notice" on Thursday, warning of a growing lake behind debris left by the landslide.
After visiting flood-hit Nuwakot, Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah said that the situation remained challenging and that the country's state machinery was operating at "full capacity".
- MEA 24x7 Control Room: +91 11 2308 8718; +91 11 2308 8719
- WhatsApp calls/messages: +91 9968291988
- Email: [email protected]
- Emergency contact numbers of Indian embassy in Kathmandu (can also be contacted on WhatsApp): +977 985 131 6807; +977 970 910 7500; +977 981 032 6117
- Nepali authorities' numbers:
- Tourist Police: +977 9851289445
- Nepal Army: +977 9851072914 (email: [email protected])
- NDRRMA: +977 9851320269; +977 9849281097; @NDRRMA_Nepal
- Rasuwa Police: +977 9851254960
- Assistant Chief District Officer, Rasuwa: +977 9851164422
- Nuwakot Police: +977 9851282380
- Assistant Chief District Officer, Nuwakot: +977 9851248777
- Dhading Police: +977 9851229860
- Chief District Officer, Dhading: +977 9851247777
- Chitwan Police: +977 9855013999
- Assistant Chief District Officer, Chitwan: +977 9855088891
