3 days ago
Shashi Tharoor seeks expanded Indian rescue effort in Nepal floods
Severe floods hit parts of Nepal after an ice-and-rock avalanche followed a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border.
The rushing water, mud and debris damaged towns, villages, roads and hydropower stations.
Many people are still missing, including hundreds of Indians.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor asked India to increase its rescue response.
He wants more disaster rescuers, army engineers and powerful helicopters sent to hard-to-reach areas.
He also suggested using special equipment to find people under the debris.
India has already sent relief supplies and an 11-member medical and rescue team, according to his letter.
Nepal's reported death toll was 669, and more than 2,000 people were still missing.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor urged India to send a full NDRF contingent and heavy-lift IAF helicopters to Nepal.
He said 320 Indian nationals remained uncontactable, while hundreds more were stranded on the Chinese side.
Tharoor requested army engineers, earth-moving equipment and Bailey bridges to reopen the Pasang Lhamu Highway.
He also proposed radar, thermal imaging, sniffer dogs and satellite mapping to search debris fields.
Nepal's flash-flood death toll reached 669, with more than 2,000 people still missing across eight affected districts.
- Who
- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor urged External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the Indian government to expand rescue efforts; Indian and Nepalese rescue teams were involved.
- What
- Tharoor requested a full NDRF contingent, heavy-lift helicopters and additional search-and-rescue resources for people missing after Nepal's flash floods.
- Where
- The disaster affected central Nepal, including areas near the Nepal-Tibet border, Timure, Rasuwagadhi, Rasuwa and Nuwakot.
- When
- The floods struck on 26 August; Tharoor made his appeal on Saturday, in a report dated 29 August.
- Why
- He said 320 Indian nationals remained uncontactable, hundreds were stranded on the Chinese side, and the chance of finding survivors was narrowing.
Key facts
- Reported death toll
- 669 people in central Nepal
- People still missing
- More than 2,000
- Uncontactable Indians
- 320, according to a ministry briefing cited by Tharoor
- Affected districts
- Eight districts
- Existing Indian assistance
- Four tranches of relief material and an 11-member team of doctors, paramedics and tunnel-rescue experts
- Requested air support
- Indian Air Force heavy-lift helicopters for Rasuwa and Nuwakot
- Requested search tools
- Ground-penetrating radar, thermal imaging, sniffer dogs and satellite tasking
Quotes
Shashi Tharoor
Congress MP representing Thiruvananthapuram
“I would urge that we press, at the highest political level and without further delay, for the following: First, the immediate clearance and induction of a full NDRF contingent with its equipment, rather than a limited number of experts.”
theprint.in
“With the greatest respect, and with the utmost urgency, I hope we can ensure that no stone is left unturned, and that whatever can be moved is moved now rather than after another round of evaluation.”
theprint.in
Sources
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