Nepal flash floods: 31 Keralites return home, 275 Indians untraceable, says MEA
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Kochi: Thirty-one Keralites stranded in Nepal following the flash floods have returned to Kerala. They arrived at Cochin International Airport, with eyewitnesses describing the floodwaters as resembling a tsunami.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said 275 Indians remained untraceable following the disaster. The death toll from the disaster has risen to 675.
The MEA said efforts were continuing to establish contact with the 275 Indians who could not be reached. NORKA said seven people from Kerala remained unaccounted for. The West Bengal government also said the whereabouts of 37 people from the state were unknown.
The first group of Indians from Kerala who had left Nepal will return home today. The MEA said 598 Indians who had travelled from China had safely reached Nepal.
Efforts are also under way to evacuate the 900 people stranded near the China border. As the possibility of floodwaters reaching neighbouring areas remains, authorities have maintained a high alert in Uttarakhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, an 11-member National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team from India has reached Nepal. A team of Indian experts also inspected hydropower tunnels damaged by the floods.
India's fourth flight carrying essential supplies has arrived in Nepal. The aircraft delivered 11 tonnes of relief material, along with equipment for search and rescue operations.
The consignment included a team of tunnel technology experts and forensic specialists to assist with DNA testing. Relief supplies such as bedsheets, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, plastic sheets and hygiene kits were also sent to Nepal.