Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 28: As many as 320 Indian nationals remain uncontactable following the devastating floods in Nepal, while around 400 Indians stranded on the Chinese side are safe, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.
Addressing a bi-weekly press briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 84 Indian nationals have been rescued so far, including 63 Indians working at the Trishuli-1 hydropower project.
He also said 96 Indian nationals who had been stranded on the Chinese side have safely crossed into Nepal by land and efforts are underway to evacuate them.
Giving an update on the situation, Jaiswal said 21 Indian nationals who had arrived in Kathmandu from the flood-affected area reached Delhi on Friday.
“These 21 Indian nationals are from Tamil Nadu and they arrived by IndiGo flight which just landed in Delhi,” he said.
Jaiswal said the Indian Ambassador had met the group in Kathmandu on Thursday and enquired about their well-being.
The 63 Indian nationals working at the Trishuli-1 hydropower project were also rescued on Thursday, he said.
In addition, 96 Indians stranded on the Chinese side have crossed into Nepal safely by land. Details regarding their identities and evacuation plans will be shared as more information becomes available, the spokesperson said.
100 persons of Indian origin also uncontactable
Jaiswal said around 100 persons of Indian origin holding foreign nationalities were also uncontactable. Some of them may have travelled for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
“As far as the number of people who we are not able to contact or who are missing, the figure at this point in time is 320,” Jaiswal said, while cautioning that the situation remained dynamic and figures could change as authorities reconcile multiple lists.
He said the MEA control room in New Delhi and control rooms at the Indian embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing were working round the clock.
400 Indians safe in China
On the Chinese side, Jaiswal said around 400 Indian nationals were safe and able to remain in contact with their families.
“Our Embassy is in touch with local authorities in China and they are working out as to how these people who are there can be evacuated,” he said.
He added that phones and other communication facilities were functioning on the Chinese side and many Indians had been in contact with their families.
The Indian Embassy in Beijing has also been coordinating with local authorities, travel agents and team leaders of the stranded groups. Family members have contacted the embassy through helpline numbers.
Jaiswal reiterated that the figure could change as the situation remained fluid, but stressed that the approximately 400 Indians on the Chinese side were safe.
The floods, believed to have been triggered by an avalanche on a transboundary river between Nepal and China upstream of the Bhote Koshi River, have caused extensive destruction downstream.
Several settlements, roads, hydropower projects and transmission infrastructure along the riverbanks have been swept away.
The death toll from the devastating floods in Nepal’s Bhotekoshi region has risen to 538, while hundreds of people remain missing, according to the latest update issued by Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) on Friday.