Kathmandu, September 2: India is providing continuous humanitarian aid to Nepal following devastating flash floods. On Wednesday, the fifth relief aircraft from the Indian Air Force (IAF) arrived in Kathmandu. The aircraft carried an 11-member specialized rescue team, advanced rescue equipment, and 5.5 tons of essential medicines.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), upon arrival in Kathmandu, India’s Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, handed over the relief materials to the Nepalese government. This assistance is aimed at supporting relief and rescue operations in areas affected by severe flooding following the glacier collapse in Tibet on August 26.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced on X that the fifth relief aircraft had departed for Nepal, carrying an 11-member rescue team, specialized equipment, and 5.5 tons of necessary medicines.
To date, India has sent over 68 tons of relief supplies and specialized rescue teams to Nepal. The relief materials include blankets, sleeping bags, heavy-duty tarpaulins, plastic sheets, sanitation kits, essential medicines, food packets, solar lamps, water purification tablets, and portable generators.
As of Wednesday morning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) of Nepal reported that 1,114 bodies have been recovered from the floods, while 3,916 people remain missing.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated in Parliament that the international community must seriously address the increasing threats posed by climate change in the Himalayan region. He emphasized that this disaster serves as a warning of the escalating impacts of climate change and that Nepal must advocate for this issue more robustly on a global scale.
Experts indicate that a natural blockage was created by an avalanche on the Lengde Khola, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi River near the Nepal-China border. As water pressure increased, this blockage broke, leading to catastrophic flooding that devastated several areas from the Bhotekoshi to the Trishuli River.
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