Indian military personnel with Nepali officials during a rescue operation in a flood-affected area of Nepal. (PTI Image)

The Indian Army team on Monday successfully established foot hold movement inside the tunnel at the Chilime Hydropower Plant and personnel entered the tunnel to carry out search and rescue operations as India continued to look for its citizens in Nepal’s Rasuwa district. The death toll from flash floods rose to 903 on Monday, with bodies continuing to be recovered. As of now 4,247 people remain missing following the disaster. The number includes several Indians as well.

Apart from sending relief material, India has also sent its Army and NDRF personnel to assist the Nepal government in rescue works. Several Indians are among 900 workers trapped in hydropower tunnel sites in Chilime and Langtang in Nepal. Indian ambassador to Nepal Mr Naveen Srivastava said a specialised team from India for Tunnel Search and Rescue operation worked with the Nepali Army’s team at hydropower tunnel sites in Chilime and Langtang area on Monday.

Bodies that have swept away due to the intensity of flash floods in Nepal are now being found in places in India that border Nepal. Four unidentified bodies recovered from the Narayani-Gandak river in Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district were handed over to the Nepal administration after post-mortem examinations.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday visited the Nepal Embassy in the capital and signed the condolence book. He wrote that as a close friend and partner, and ‘Sukh Dukh Ke Saathi’, India has always stood by Nepal. He added that New Delhi stands shoulder to shoulder with " Nepali brothers and sisters", and it is committed to support Kathmandu's efforts for search, rescue and rehabilitation following the large-scale devastation caused by the flash floods in that country.

Tags: