PM Modi offers Nepal all possible flood assistance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday and offered all possible humanitarian assistance after flash floods devastated districts along the Tibet border. At least 16 people have died and hundreds are missing, including 105 Indians, after the Bhote Koshi River surged, washing away homes, bridges and vehicles.

The Nepal Tourism Board said 384 travellers are unaccounted for, among them 105 Indian citizens, 37 non-resident Indians, and nationals from the US, UK, Australia, Malaysia, the Netherlands and South Africa. Most of the missing Indians were pilgrims on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The Indian embassy in Kathmandu issued emergency helplines.

Nepal has sought support from both India and China. India said the NDRF, IAF and SSB are on standby and relief materials including medicines and fabricated sheets are being readied. Rescue teams using helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs have been deployed. The cause of the sudden surge may have been an ice avalanche in Tibet that created a dammed lake, a Kathmandu University professor said.