India sends fourth flight to flood-hit Nepal as China, US step up aid

New Delhi: India has expanded its rescue and relief operation in flood-hit Nepal, by sending a fourth flight on Saturday, carrying specialized tunnel rescue and forensic teams along with 11 tonnes of assistance. China has also sent tunnel rescue experts to Nepal, while the US has announced more than $3.6 million in humanitarian aid as Kathmandu works through the aftermath of the floods.

In a post on X, external affairs minister, S Jaishankar said, “The 4th flight from India with 11 tonnes of assistance is now airborne.” He added that the IAF C-130 aircraft also carried blankets, sleeping bags, tarpaulin, plastic sheets and hygiene kits.

India’s ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, confirmed the flight’s arrival in Kathmandu on X. “Our support to the relief and rescue efforts of Nepal continues,” Jaishankar said separately.

Four flights, in order

India’s air bridge to Nepal began on August 26, the day the floods struck, when an IAF C-130J Hercules airlifted 10 tonnes of emergency material, including temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps and medicines. As reported earlier by RNA Media, a second aircraft, a C-17 Globemaster, followed the next morning with 37.5 tonnes, comprising 28.5 tonnes of tents, dewatering pumps and gensets, eight tonnes of medicines and one tonne of food.

A third C-130J departed on August 28 carrying a 5-member Indian Army tunnel rescue reconnaissance team and a 6-member medical team, along with another 10 tonnes of supplies, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. That reconnaissance team began tunnel rescue work the same day it landed.

The fourth flight, on August 29, carried a fuller 13-member Indian Army tunnel rescue team with specialist equipment, based on the earlier recce team’s assessment, along with a 19-member contingent from six forensic teams for DNA identification work. India has now airlifted a combined 68.5 tonnes of relief material to Kathmandu.

On ground progress

India’s technical team has already carried out on-site reconnaissance of hydropower tunnels in the flood-hit areas, according to reports. The team conducted an aerial survey of the Chilime and Langtang areas before beginning rescue-related work around the tunnel sites.

India has also offered its National Disaster Response Force to support Nepal’s search and rescue effort, per the MEA. India is separately helping restore connectivity, with 16 trucks carrying equipment for a 230-foot single-lane modular steel bridge already in Nepal, and equipment for seven more Bailey bridges due to follow shortly. One Bailey bridge is already in the country and ready for deployment.

China’s response

China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, spoke by phone with his Nepali counterpart, Shisir Khanal, on Saturday. In a post on X, Wang called it “the most serious cross-border disaster between the two countries in recent years,” and said the “complexity and difficulty of the relief work are unprecedented.” 

Wang said two teams of Chinese tunnel rescue experts had already reached the disaster area and Kathmandu, and that China had shared satellite imagery, hydrological data and early warnings about an upstream barrier lake with Nepal. He said a package of Chinese assistance, including emergency cash aid, was being implemented, with relief supplies due in Kathmandu soon.

Khanal said afterward that Nepal and China had agreed to increase the sharing of real-time hydrological data.

US announces $3.6 million in aid

The US state department separately announced more than $3.6 million in humanitarian assistance for Nepal on Saturday, up from an initial $500,000 pledged earlier in the week. The package includes up to three months of emergency food assistance for as many as 10,000 flood-affected households.

Nepal’s own toll and rescue effort

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) says the death toll from the floods has risen to 675, with 2,498 people still missing or out of contact. More than 18,700 security personnel from the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been deployed, alongside 16 helicopters that have completed 236 rescue missions.

Nepal’s prime minister, Balen Shah, said air and land operations had evacuated more than 7,500 people to safety, including 279 workers who had been trapped at hydroelectric project sites. He said the government would remain on high alert and operate at full capacity until every flood-affected citizen was safe and rehabilitated.

The NDRRMA has also issued a fresh public safety warning after a sudden increase in the roar and water flow of the Bhote Koshi river, urging residents and relief teams downstream to remain vigilant. The warning covers three major downstream districts, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, all severely affected by the original August 26 floods.

Tamil Nadu’s stranded pilgrims

Tamil Nadu’s state minister, Rajmohan, said 219 of 319 people from the state stranded in Nepal had been rescued and would reach Tamil Nadu by August 31. “For the past three days, acting on the instructions of chief minister, Joseph Vijay, we have been camping in Delhi and making various efforts to rescue Tamils stranded in Nepal,” Rajmohan said, adding that the remaining 100 people had not yet been traced. “This is an international-scale disaster. In this incident, everyone must work together. Our sole objective is to rescue the affected people.”