Fifth Indian aircraft reaches Kathmandu with rescue team and medicines for flood-hit Nepal

Kathmandu: India has flown in a fifth aircraft to Nepal with additional humanitarian assistance as the Himalayan nation grapples with catastrophic flash floods that have killed more than 1,100 people. The Indian Air Force plane landed in Kathmandu on Wednesday carrying an 11-member rescue team equipped with specialised gear and 5.5 tonnes of essential medicines, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava handed over the latest consignment of relief material to local authorities, the MEA said, as part of New Delhi’s continuing support to the disaster response effort. [query] The floods were triggered after a glacial collapse in Tibet on 26 August, which led to a sudden surge of water into rivers in northern Nepal.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, posting on X earlier in the day, confirmed that the fifth Indian aircraft had departed for Nepal with the rescue team and medicines. “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,” he said.

To date, India has dispatched more than 68 tonnes of emergency relief supplies along with specialised rescue teams. The aid includes blankets, sleeping bags, heavy-duty tarpaulins, plastic sheeting and hygiene kits, as well as essential medicines, ready-to-eat food packets, solar lamps, water purification tablets and portable generators.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said that by 9 a.m. on Wednesday, at least 1,114 bodies had been recovered from the flood-affected areas, while around 3,916 people remained out of contact.

Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah, addressing the House of Representatives on Wednesday, called for greater international focus on climate-related risks in the Himalayan region as the death toll from the Bhotekoshi River floods crossed 1,100. He said Nepal must highlight more forcefully the disasters it is facing due to climate change.

Experts said an avalanche blocked the Lengde Khola, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi near the Nepal–China border. Water accumulated behind the natural dam before breaching it, unleashing a massive flood that swept downstream towards the Trishuli River, destroying settlements and infrastructure.

Shah said the disaster had raised serious questions about how such an event occurred and what it meant for Nepal’s future. “The huge disaster, whose impacts of climate change we have suddenly experienced, has kept us working around the clock to manage the damage. At the same time, another profound question has arisen in our minds: How did this disaster come upon us?” he said.

(Inputs from IANS)