Nepal has recovered 489 bodies following devastating flash floods, while more than 1,400 people, including foreign nationals, remain missing, authorities said. Despite offers from several countries to deploy search-and-rescue teams, Nepal has decided not to accept foreign rescue personnel for the time being.
The countries that have expressed interest in sending assistance include India, Bangladesh, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and Sri Lanka. Nepal’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the country’s security forces are capable of conducting search-and-rescue operations on their own and that foreign rescue teams are not currently required.
However, Kathmandu has indicated that it may need substantial financial and other forms of international assistance during the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase following the disaster.
The presence of missing foreign nationals has prompted several governments to offer direct assistance with search operations. South Korea has already sent a rescue team to Nepal to help locate its citizens and has also expressed interest in sending relief supplies. Nepal, however, has maintained that foreign rescue teams will not be accepted at this stage.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lok Bahadur Chhetri said it was natural for Nepal to receive offers of international assistance under the circumstances. However, he said Nepal’s security agencies were currently conducting search-and-rescue operations and had sufficient capacity to handle the task.
Nine South Korean nationals working on a hydropower project in Nepal are among those reported missing. Although Seoul offered assistance in locating them, Kathmandu said the search operation was currently being handled by Nepalese authorities.
The Kathmandu Post reported that India, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had sought permission to deploy search-and-rescue teams to Nepal.
Rasuwa district, which borders China’s Tibet region, is among the areas hardest hit by the floods. Roads and other infrastructure have suffered extensive damage, while several hydropower projects have also been affected. The death toll has continued to rise following the floods and landslides triggered by the disaster.
Nepal’s decision not to accept foreign rescue teams has raised questions in some quarters. Speaking to Reuters, former Nepalese ambassador to the United Nations Dinesh Bhattarai said the geographical location of Rasuwa could be a factor in the government’s decision.
Bhattarai suggested that Nepal may have taken the decision in consideration of the strategic and geographical sensitivity of the area because Rasuwa lies along the border with China’s Tibet region.
The Foreign Ministry, however, has rejected that explanation. Spokesman Chhetri said the decision had nothing to do with the sensitivity of areas bordering China. He reiterated that Nepal’s own security forces currently have sufficient capacity to conduct the rescue operations.
Although Nepal has declined foreign rescue teams for now, it has appealed for international financial assistance, according to an AFP report. The government is expected to require substantial resources for rebuilding damaged infrastructure, rehabilitating displaced people and carrying out other long-term recovery efforts once the immediate rescue phase is completed.
Chhetri told AFP that the government’s immediate priority was to locate and rescue those still missing. Nepal’s security forces were capable of carrying out that work, he said. However, if the situation became more complicated or a specific need arose, Nepal could seek assistance from foreign experts.
He stressed that Nepal was not rejecting international assistance altogether. Rather, the country was currently able to manage the search-and-rescue operation with its own security forces. Decisions on further assistance would be made according to the needs that emerge during the next stages of the response.
Meanwhile, Nepal’s Prime Minister’s Office has launched efforts to mobilize funds domestically and internationally to address the damage caused by the disaster and support reconstruction. Government officials said several countries and international organizations had already pledged financial assistance.
Officials said search and rescue remain the government’s highest priority at present. Once the immediate emergency response is completed, rehabilitation and reconstruction will begin in the affected areas. At that stage, Nepal may require significantly greater financial and technical support from the international community to rebuild damaged infrastructure and restore the lives of displaced communities.
Sources: Reuters, AFP and The Kathmandu Post