Nepal Floods: 290 Indians Still Uncontacted, Most Missing Among Kailash Mansarovar Pilgrims

Jaiprakash Ranjan, New Delhi: Hundreds of Indian citizens are missing in the devastating flash floods that struck Rasuwa and surrounding areas in Nepal on Wednesday. Contact with 290 Indian citizens remains elusive. These include 73 Indian workers employed at the Trishul Power Project. Most of the missing Indians were pilgrims on the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra.

Jaishankar Holds Review Meet

India has reiterated its commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with Nepal in this difficult time. Relief efforts are underway under the supervision of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Jaishankar held a review meeting with the Foreign Secretary, the Ministry of External Affairs team and Indian ambassadors posted in Kathmandu and Beijing to ensure coordinated rescue operations.

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that immediate efforts are being made to ascertain the condition and well-being of all Indians in the flood-affected areas.

The Ministry of External Affairs is coordinating with various ministries, state governments, tour operators, and project officials. India is working closely with the Nepalese side on both the issue and relief efforts. Apart from this, relief supplies have been sent.

However, the challenge is ensuring this aid reaches the people in need and reaches the disaster-affected centers. According to the information that continues to flow from "ground zero" to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, debris removal at the local level - Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Bidur, and other areas will be the most urgent and priority task.

Villages, markets, and shops along the river near Trishuli Bazaar and Bidur have been buried in mud. The Nepal government lacks the necessary equipment or manpower to provide relief to these areas therefore large-scale relief operations will only begin in a day or two.

290 Indian Citizens Haven't Been Contacted Yet

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, giving details of the relief efforts, said, "As of now, 290 Indian citizens have not been contacted. These include 73 Indians working at the Trishuli-1 power project."

"The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu is in contact with the project leader to obtain further information about these individuals. Communications in the area have been completely disrupted, making it difficult to contact people on the ground,” he added.

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He further added that two separate groups of 37 and 49 Tamil Nadu citizens had gone for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Samrat and Fly Everest Travels.

32 Indians from Bengal who travelled with Samrat Travels to Timure in Rasuwa district are unaccounted for. 61 Indians from various states travelled with Richa Tours, including a group of 33 Indians from Kerala.

These five major groups together number approximately 288 people. Meanwhile, a group of 21 Indian nationals from Tamil Nadu had been rescued as of 1 pm on Thursday. The Embassy and Ambassador have spoken to the group and assured them of all possible assistance. They are on their way to Kathmandu, and arrangements will be made to send them back home soon.
47.5 tonnes of relief material has been sent from India to Nepal so far.

On Wednesday night, within 24 hours of the disaster, an Indian Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft arrived in Kathmandu carrying 10 tonnes of relief supplies, including temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps and essential medicines.

On Thursday, a second flight carrying 37.5 tons of humanitarian aid, medicines, and food packets was delivered. In total, India has sent approximately 47.5 tons of relief supplies to Nepal so far. Preparations are underway to send more aid.