Nepal has agreed to accept foreign assistance for rescue operations after initially refusing the same as the scale of devastation from the floods continued to overwhelm relief efforts, The Kathmandu Post reported on Friday. India moved quickly to respond to Kathmandu’s request for specialised support.MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India was preparing to send a tunnel rescue team, with a reconnaissance team being flown in first to assess the situation and identify the equipment needed. India is also sending a medical team and has offered Bailey bridges along with technical teams to restore connectivity in affected areas.“As requested by Nepal, we are preparing to send a tunnel rescue team, for which a recce team is being flown in first to assess the on-ground situation and what sort of equipment will be required. We are also sending a medical team to Nepal. In addition, we have also offered Bailey bridges along with associated technical teams so that connectivity can be restored quickly in the affected parts of Nepal and we can help in rescue and relief efforts... One Bailey bridge is already in Nepal and can be deployed for relief and connectivity efforts,” the MEA spokesperson Jaiswal said.
Why Nepal agreed
Nepal reversed its earlier decision amid mounting pressure from countries whose nationals remain missing in the flood-hit areas. Several governments had urged Kathmandu to allow their specialist search-and-rescue teams to assist in locating survivors.“We received massive pressure from the international community to allow at least search-and-rescue teams and some experts because their citizens have also gone missing in the floods. We are allowing a limited number of experts in certain areas,” The Kathmandu Post reported quoting a senior government official.The decision also came as rescue operations made limited progress, with dozens of people still unaccounted for inside hydropower tunnels in Rasuwa and Nuwakot. The scale of the disaster has further increased the need for specialised tunnel-rescue expertise.
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Nepal also has limited capacity for DNA testing and forensic identification of bodies. Foreign experts will therefore assist with identifying the dead and ensuring that remains can be handed over to families as quickly as possible.
India dispatches 3rd consignment of aid
India also dispatched its third consignment of humanitarian assistance to Nepal. The 10-tonne shipment included portable generators, dignity kits, food packets and water purification tablets, while an 11-member team of doctors, paramedics and tunnel-rescue specialists travelled on the same flight.The latest consignment takes India’s total relief assistance to Nepal to 57.5 tonnes since August 26. The earlier shipments included temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps, medicines, dewatering pumps, generators, kitchen sets and food supplies.India has also offered Bailey bridges to help restore connectivity, with Jaiswal noting that one such bridge is already in Nepal and can be deployed for relief operations.
