KATHMANDU: Nepalese authorities have rescued 117 tourists stranded following severe flooding in the country, including 85 Indians, 16 Chinese, nine South Koreans, two Italians and two US nationals, according to a Tourism Ministry source.
The death toll from the devastating floods has reached 469, Nepal police said on Friday, while authorities continued search-and-rescue operations in affected areas.
Officials are also closely monitoring two lakes upstream of the flood-hit region. One of the lakes began overflowing on Friday, raising concerns about further flooding downstream.
A Disaster Management Authority official said authorities were using satellite imagery to monitor the situation, although the availability of updated images was limiting their ability to track developments in real time.
The official said the risk of flooding would persist until both lakes had completely drained.
Authorities are also planning to install cameras and sensors at downstream locations, including near the border town of Timure, to improve monitoring and provide early warnings. Officials are assessing whether the equipment can be transported and installed by helicopter.
Nepal has also declined offers from several countries to send foreign search-and-rescue teams, saying its own security agencies are capable of managing the ongoing operation.
Nepal’s Foreign Ministry said the country did not currently require international assistance. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri said offers of assistance were natural but that Nepal’s security agencies were conducting search-and-rescue operations.
The flash floods swept through several towns, particularly in Rasuwa district near the Chinese border, destroying settlements, damaging hydropower infrastructure and leaving hundreds of people missing, including foreign nationals.
According to the Kathmandu Post, India, China, the United States, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have approached Kathmandu seeking permission to deploy search-and-rescue teams.
South Korea said Nepal had indicated that it was not yet prepared to accept foreign rescue teams, although Seoul would continue discussions with Kathmandu. South Korea has also pledged $1 million in humanitarian assistance through international organisations.
Nine South Koreans working at a hydropower project were reported missing, while another 10 were stranded, according to South Korea’s Foreign Ministry.
Nepal’s decision not to accept foreign rescue teams has raised questions given the scale of the disaster and the number of people still unaccounted for.
Former Nepali ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva Dinesh Bhattarai suggested that the location of Rasuwa, which borders China’s Tibet region, could have influenced the decision.
Chhetri rejected the suggestion, saying Nepal’s decision was not related to Chinese sensitivities but was based on the government’s assessment that domestic rescue agencies could manage the operation.
China’s Foreign Ministry had not immediately commented on Nepal’s decision. Chinese state media reported that President Xi Jinping had conveyed condolences to Nepal’s president over the disaster.
