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Contact has been established with around 400 Indian citizens from the Chinese side, all of whom are safe, and the Indian Embassy in Beijing is making arrangements for their safe evacuation amid the disruption caused by landslides following the devastating flash floods in Nepal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during a press briefing, said that the Indian Embassy was in direct contact with the stranded citizens, their travel agents and group leaders to coordinate their return to India. "I would also like to inform you that on the Chinese side there are about 400 Indian citizens with whom we have been able to establish contact. All of them are safe and have spoken to their family members, as telephone facilities are available there," Jaiswal said during the briefing. He said several family members had also contacted the Indian Embassy in Beijing through its helpline, while the embassy was coordinating with those stranded as well as their travel groups. "Currently, our embassy is making arrangements for these 400 people to be safely evacuated from there," the MEA spokesperson added. However, landslides on the Chinese side have affected road connectivity, with several routes currently in poor condition, he said. "As and when connectivity options open up, these people, as I mentioned, around 400 of them, can return to India," Jaiswal said. The MEA also provided an update on India's humanitarian assistance to Nepal following the devastating flash flood. Jaiswal said India sent its first aircraft carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance to Nepal on August 26. The consignment included blankets, food items, medicines, solar lamps and other essential materials. A second aircraft carrying 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance was sent to Nepal on August 27, he said, adding that the supplies were sent in response to requests from the Nepalese government. A third aircraft is scheduled to depart on Friday, carrying an estimated 12 to 13 tonnes of humanitarian assistance. "At the same time, I would like to say that we are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of our Indian citizens and providing all possible assistance to Nepal as per their request," Jaiswal said. The latest assistance and evacuation efforts come as Nepal continues to respond to the catastrophic flash flood in the Bhotekoshi River area of Rasuwa that caused widespread destruction on Wednesday. According to the latest figures provided in the Nepalese disaster management update, 538 bodies have been recovered, and 977 people remain missing, while search, rescue and relief operations continue across the affected areas. (ANI)
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