- India offered NDRF teams and equipment to aid Nepal's flood rescue operations
- Nepal declined foreign rescue teams, citing capable domestic security agencies
- India is sending medical teams, engineering support, and Bailey bridges to Nepal
The Centre has offered to deploy National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams in Nepal to help with search-and-rescue operations following devastating flash floods that have killed at least 552 people on both sides of the Nepal-Tibet border.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday that, on Nepal's "request", India is also preparing additional humanitarian assistance, including medical support, engineering teams and equipment to help restore damaged infrastructure.
The MEA statement came hours after Nepal said it did not need foreign search-and-rescue teams, insisting that its own security agencies were capable of handling the situation.
The disaster has left more than 1,400 people missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals. Entire settlements have been swept away, roads and bridges destroyed and major hydropower infrastructure damaged.
"Two aircraft with relief materials have already been sent; we are expecting a third aircraft to carry humanitarian assistance from our side to Nepal. 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-the-ground situation as to what 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," Jaiswal said.
India has separately offered to send NDRF personnel and equipment for search-and-rescue operations.
"We have also made a specific offer to the Nepal authorities to dispatch NDRF teams along with their associated equipment that can help in ongoing search and rescue operations and bring relief assistance to people impacted by the tragedy. We await a response from the government of Nepal on this front. We stand ready to offer any assistance that the Nepal authorities might require," Jaiswal added.
Earlier, Lok Bahadur Chhetri, a spokesperson for Nepal's foreign ministry, said the country's own security agencies were leading the response.
"The offer for help is natural. Our security agencies are doing the search and rescue operation. For now we don't require such help," he said.
He later said that Nepal was not rejecting international assistance altogether.
"It is not that we will not need help, but our security network is capable and working effectively right now," Chhetri said. "If Nepal needs any specialised help or expertise, then we will request it."
According to the Kathmandu Post, India, China, the United States, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had approached Nepal about sending teams.
