Nepal floods: 84 Indians rescued, 290 remain uncontactable as India sends second relief consignment 

New Delhi: Eighty-four Indian nationals have been rescued from flood-affected areas of Nepal, while 290 remain uncontactable, according to the latest update issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday. The rescued include 63 workers of the Trishuli-I hydropower project and 21 people from Tamil Nadu, as India continues efforts to establish contact with Indians affected by the devastating floods.

As reported earlier by RNA, India had sent an initial 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and essential medicines to Nepal after the floods caused widespread destruction across the country. India has now handed over a second consignment of 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) material, medicines and food packets to Nepal, taking the combined total sent so far to 47.5 tonnes.

S Jaishankar, the external affairs minister, said in a post on X that the second flight carrying the relief material had taken off for Nepal. He said India remained in “close and continuous touch with the Nepalese authorities” and would “continue to strongly support the ongoing relief efforts.”

The second consignment was subsequently handed over to Mahabir Pun, Nepal’s minister for science, technology and innovation, to support the country’s flood relief and rescue efforts. The MEA spokesman, Randhir Jaiswal, said India “remains committed to standing by Nepal and its people.” 

The Indian Air Force also confirmed that another C-17 aircraft had taken off carrying 37.5 tonnes of relief supplies, including medicines and food items. 

Briefing reporters in New Delhi, Jaiswal gave a fuller breakdown of the two flights: a C-130J took off around 8.30pm on Wednesday with 10 tonnes of supplies, including temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits and solar lamps, followed by the C-17 on Thursday morning carrying 28.5 tonnes of relief items such as tents, dewatering pumps, kitchen sets and gensets, eight tonnes of medicines, and one tonne of food. 

Jaiswal said further assistance was being considered, and that India was also mobilising Bailey bridges to help with rescue and relief efforts on the ground.

Jaishankar also held a review meeting with the foreign secretary, Vikram Misri; MEA officials; and India’s ambassadors in Kathmandu and Beijing on the flood disaster. In a post on X, he said urgent efforts were under way to ascertain the status and well-being of all Indians in the affected areas.

The MEA is coordinating with various ministries, state governments, tour operators and project authorities to establish contact with Indians in the affected areas. Jaishankar said India was also working closely with the Nepali side on the status of Indian nationals and relief efforts. 

Jaiswal added that the MEA’s control room, which functions round the clock, is in direct touch with state governments whose residents had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, coordinating through the Ministry of Home Affairs to trace them. India’s embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing have also set up 24-hour helplines.