Nepal flash flood: India steps in with relief, border areas on high alert

At least four people have died and nearly 400 are missing after devastating flash floods swept through northern Nepal on Wednesday, with 105 Indians and 37 NRIs among those unaccounted for, prompting India to step up relief and rescue efforts.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 384 travellers — 291 foreigners and 93 Nepalese nationals — have gone missing in the floods in Rasuwa district. The missing include 105 Indian tourists and 37 NRIs, with the remaining travellers from countries including the US, Malaysia, the UK, South Africa, Australia and the Netherlands. Most of the missing Indians were travelling for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra in Tibet.

India is sending emergency assistance, including medicines and rations, to Nepal on Indian Air Force aircraft under the government's Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative. The government is also planning to deploy National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel for rescue and relief operations in the affected areas.

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has alerted all its formations along the 1,751-km India-Nepal border and deployed 18 teams for rescue and relief operations in border areas, government sources said.

In Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed the administrations of Maharajganj and Kushinagar districts to take all necessary measures to deal with any potential emergency arising from the floods in Nepal.

The impact of the floods could lead to a rise in water levels in the Gandak and Narayani rivers in the two districts, an official statement said. Maharajganj shares a border with Nepal, while Kushinagar is adjacent to Maharajganj.

The floods, triggered by a sudden surge in the Bhote Koshi river from the Tibet side, struck Rasuwa and Dhading districts bordering Tibet and Nuwakot district, southwest of Kathmandu, at around 9.00 am local time on Wednesday, 26 August. The disaster devastated settlements along the river and damaged at least a dozen hydropower projects.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged the Centre to trace the missing Indians and provide all possible assistance to their families. In a post on X, Kharge expressed shock over the loss of lives and devastation caused by the floods and called for immediate steps to ensure the safety of the missing Indians.

He also urged the government to extend all possible humanitarian assistance to Nepal, saying the Congress stood in solidarity with the people of the neighbouring country.

China has also launched rescue operations after a mudslide struck the Gyirong border port in Tibet, near the China-Nepal border. President Xi Jinping ordered the evacuation of residents at risk, medical assistance for the injured and stronger monitoring and early-warning measures.

A total of 145 officers and soldiers from the Xigaze detachment of the People's Armed Police have been sent to the affected border port to assist with emergency response operations.

The Chinese Embassy in Nepal has activated its emergency response mechanism to assess the situation of Chinese citizens and enterprises in the affected area and urged Nepalese authorities to intensify rescue efforts.

With PTI inputs