New Delhi: India on Tuesday reiterated its commitment to support Nepal in its ongoing relief and rescue operations following the devastating flash floods, saying it will continue to extend assistance based on requirements on ground.
Addressing a bi-weekly press briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India has so far sent 95 tonnes of relief material on seven aircraft and deployed forensic and tunnel rescue teams to support Nepal’s relief and rescue efforts.
“We have expressed solidarity and sympathy with the people and government of Nepal, and we are doing our best to help them in this particular disaster. As a close friend and neighbour, India has responded promptly and will continue to support Nepal’s relief, rescue, and reconstruction efforts. We have sent 95 tonnes of relief material on board seven aircraft, and some more material shall be sent there soon. Our forensic team and our tunnel rescue team, both the teams, are operating on the ground. They are giving a helping hand in the rescue and relief efforts,” Jaiswal stated.
“The forensic team is currently working in two laboratories in Kathmandu, where they are working on 1200 DNA samples in these two laboratories. We will continue to support Nepal as per their requirement. As I told you last time, 275 Indian nationals are missing in this disaster. 169 Indian nationals have been rescued so far. And these 275 Indian nationals who are missing, that I mentioned, also include 49 people who went missing on the Chinese side,” he mentioned.
Jaiswal further said the government of India had been actively extending assistance to Indian nationals following the disaster, with 24×7 control rooms set up in India, Beijing and Kathmandu to assist and ensure their safety and welfare.
“When this disaster unfolded in Nepal, we have been very active, giving a helping hand to Indian nationals. We set up a control room here. We set up a control room in Beijing, in Kathmandu 24 X7, and we have been manning these control rooms and trying to do our best for our people. There may be occasional cases here and there .. We have tried our best, but still some elements would have been short of expectations. But let me tell you that it has been our desire to do our best for our people, and we remain committed to their welfare, safety, and their wellbeing,” the MEA spokesperson asserted.
The massive flood that struck Nepal’s Rasuwa originated in the Tibetan region of China on August 26. It swept through the transboundary Bhote Koshi River, leaving over a thousand dead, including foreign nationals, and caused widespread destruction in the Himalayan nation.
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