HYDERABAD, Aug 29 — Nepal has rescued 121 nationals of different countries from the flood-ravaged region while hundreds remain missing.
Foreign travellers rescued as of 5.30 pm local time (7.45 pm Malaysia Time) consisted of 85 Indians, 16 Chinese, nine South Koreans, two each from the US, Russia and Italy, as well as one each from Belgium, Bulgaria, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland, according to a tally published by Nepal’s tourism body on Friday.
The death toll of Wednesday’s Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river flooding, triggered by a Himalayan glacial collapse, has risen to about 550.
The disaster has caused death and destruction in both Nepal and China.
Nepalese authorities are struggling to identify victims and to find proper storage for bodies being recovered as hospitals in Chitwan and Pokhara lack capacity, according to local media reports.
Search and rescue teams are looking for bodies and survivors in several downstream areas.
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Friday chaired a Cabinet meeting to review the flood aftermath.
Shah and his Cabinet colleagues will contribute one month’s salary to the Prime Minister’s Natural Disaster Relief Fund to support flood-relief efforts.
India has sent two consignments of humanitarian aid to Nepal totalling 47.5 tonnes with a third plane set to leave on Friday carrying relief materials.
The number of Indians with whom contact has been lost is 320, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said during a media briefing.
Sixty-three Indians working on the Trishuli hydropower project were found to be safe, while another 21 rescued people have been brought to India.
In addition, there were about 100 people of “Indian-origin” holding passports of other countries who were unaccounted for, Jaiswal added.
They may have gone on the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage in the Xizang region of China.
Around 400 Indian nationals in the Chinese region were reported safe.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke by telephone with his Nepalese counterpart on Friday to offer his condolences on the loss of lives and express solidarity with Nepal.
Shehbaz informed Shah that Pakistan was dispatching emergency relief assistance to Nepal, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
