KATHMANDU: The Nepal government has turned down offers from several countries to send search and rescue teams to Nepal even as 517 foreign nationals remain missing since the Bhotekoshi floods on Aug 26. It said Nepali security agencies can handle the operation.
Instead, Nepal wants cash contributions through a one-door mechanism. Officials say additional financial aid and other support will be sought during the reconstruction phase.
Some countries have already announced financial assistance, while more have expressed their willingness to support Nepal in search, rescue, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
According to the Nepal Police, 178 Indians, 65 Americans, 51 Malaysians, 53 Ukrainians, 33 Britons, 35 Australians, 25 Canadians, nine Singaporeans and nationals from three dozen other countries are missing since Aug 26.
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Chinese officials said at least 100 Chinese nationals are out of contact in Nepal. Meanwhile, India’s foreign ministry said more than 200 Indian nationals have been trapped in the floods and are seeking evacuation.
A senior foreign ministry official said the government has received multiple official and unofficial requests from countries and organisations to send their own search and rescue team. However, the government has told them that Nepal’s own security agencies are capable of handling the operation.
Officials from India, China, US, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have asked the government to allow their search and rescue teams to assist in the search and rescue.
The government made the decision after its experience in the 2015 earthquake, when the influx of foreign search and rescue teams and competition among countries caused significant coordination and management issues, the official said.
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The decision was taken on the recommendation of the Nepali Army and police.
After hundreds of its nationals went missing or lost contact following the floods, the Indian government had requested permission to deploy its National Disaster Response Force to Nepal. The government declined the request.
“We received similar requests from China and other countries too, but we had to turn down the request,” the foreign ministry official said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up an Emergency Response Team (ERT) to assist foreign nationals affected by the floods.
“The ERT shall serve as the central coordinating body within the ministry to facilitate search, rescue, information verification, and consular assistance in respect of foreign nationals affected by, missing in, or otherwise connected to the flood incident,” said the statement.
A team, led by an under-secretary at foreign ministry, is leading the ERT.
To ascertain the whereabouts and conditions of foreign nationals who are missing or out of contact, the ministry has also sent an under-secretary to the dedicated operations team in Timure (Rasuwa), said Lok Bahadur Poudel Chettri, the spokesperson at the foreign ministry.
“The under-secretary is coordinating with the security teams on the ground, and any information he collects will be passed directly to the Foreign Ministry as we have received a huge number of queries from their relatives,” said Chettri.
This is a one-door mechanism where the relatives of the foreign nationals can contact directly, he said, and the concerned diplomatic missions, international organisations, families of missing persons, and members of the public are requested to contact the dedicated hotline and e-mail for any information regarding foreign nationals affected by or missing in connection with the Rasuwa flash flood.
Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on Aug 27 instructed joint secretaries overseeing various divisions of the ministry to remain in contact with foreign governments and keep them updated about their missing nationals.
The ministry has also instructed its missions abroad to seek financial support only through the Prime Minister Relief Fund.
India has sent over 47.5 tonnes of relief supplies to Nepal, Randhir Jaiswal, the foreign ministry spokesperson of India said on Aug 28. India has also offered to send bailey bridges, and prefabricated truss bridges, he said.
“Whatever request has been made by Nepal, we are acting on that,” said Jaiswal.
The US, Britain and World Bank have already announced financial support.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda said on social media that he had reached out to Prime Minister Balendra Shah to convey that the ADB stands with Nepal and its people.
“Beyond the immediate emergency (aid), we will continue supporting Nepal in strengthening preparedness and resilience through better risk assessments, early warning systems, and more resilient infrastructure to help protect lives,” he wrote.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the US was ready to support the government of Nepal with humanitarian assistance.
Foreign Minister Khanal also received a telephone call from British foreign secretary Ed Miliband. According to the foreign ministry, Miliband expressed the British government’s strong support to Nepal and enquired about the ongoing rescue efforts, including the search for missing British nationals.
Nepali missions abroad have issued similar statements appealing for financial assistance for the rescue, relief and rehabilitation of flood-affected communities. - The Kathmandu Post/ANN
