Nepal floods: India sends 11-member rescue team, 5.5 tonnes of aid

New Delhi: India has sent an 11-member rescue team equipped with specialised equipment and 5.5 tonnes of essential medicines to Nepal as part of ongoing relief and rescue efforts following devastating flash floods, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said on Wednesday.

The fifth Indian aircraft carrying the rescue team and humanitarian supplies has departed for Nepal, Jaishankar said in a post on X.

“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,” he said.

The assistance comes after catastrophic flash floods struck Nepal following a glacial collapse in Tibet on August 26.

India has so far rushed more than 68 tonnes of emergency relief materials and specialised rescue teams to support Nepal in dealing with the disaster.

The relief supplies include blankets, sleeping bags, heavy-duty tarpaulins, plastic sheeting and hygiene kits, along with essential medicines, food packets, solar lamps, water purification tablets and portable generators.

Nepal authorities said on Tuesday that more than 1,000 people had been confirmed dead following last week’s devastating floods, with bodies swept away by the floods continuing to accumulate along riverbanks in several districts.

The number of bodies recovered has reached 1,003, according to the latest update from Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).

Southern Chitwan district recorded the highest number of recovered bodies at 321, followed by Nawalparasi East with 216.

According to Nepal Police, 4,606 people remain unaccounted for, including 583 foreigners, indicating that the death toll could rise further.

Nepali authorities said search efforts were continuing to locate people still unaccounted for at various hydropower projects along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts.

At the request of the Nepali government, India and China have deployed technical teams to assist with search and rescue operations inside hydropower tunnels.

Meanwhile, a 19-member Indian forensic team has begun analysing DNA samples in coordination with Nepali forensic experts to help identify those killed in the disaster.

With IANS inputs