U.S. Offers Search-and-Rescue Support to Nepal After Deadly Disaster; Nepal Hesitates to Accept
A replica of the United States Great Seal is displayed in the Harry S. Truman Building of the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. (State Dept./Serkan Gurbuz)
The United States has offered to support search-and-rescue operations in Nepal following the disaster, saying it is prepared to deploy rescue teams and provide other assistance if formally requested by the Nepali government. However, Nepal has hesitated to accept the offer.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the United States would work under the coordination of the Nepali government if assistance is requested.
“The United States has offered to provide search and rescue assistance,” the spokesperson said in response to questions from NepYork. “We stand ready to support search and rescue efforts in coordination with the Government of Nepal, should such assistance be requested.”
The State Department said it is closely monitoring the situation in Nepal and has deployed disaster-response advisers to the region to help expedite potential aid and rescue operations.
The first shipment of U.S. assistance arrived in Nuwakot and Rasuwa between Aug. 29 and 30, according to the U.S. Embassy in Nepal.
The shipment, sent by Chargé d’Affaires Scott Urbom, included more than 2.5 tons of food supplies for 400 people in Rasuwa and Nuwakot, along with 500 blankets, 500 mosquito nets and 500 insulating foam sleeping mats.
The embassy said the United States is coordinating closely with Nepal and other partners. It has also allocated $3.6 million in assistance to address Nepal’s needs and provide relief to affected communities.
India, China Join Rescue Efforts
Nepal allowed Indian and Chinese rescue teams to participate in tunnel-rescue operations five days after the disaster.
A nine-member Chinese rescue team was deployed to the 216-megawatt Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project in Rasuwa, where it coordinated with China Railway, the project’s Chinese contractor. A second Chinese tunnel-rescue team arrived in Nepal on Sunday.
An 11-member Indian team was deployed to the Chilime Hydropower Project. The team included doctors, paramedics, tunnel engineers and other technical personnel. A separate 22-member Indian Army team was also mobilized for rescue operations.
Indian specialists began working with an 82-member joint security team comprising personnel from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force. The teams used advanced equipment to clear tunnels and search for people believed to be trapped.
A South Korean rescue team has also arrived in Nepal.
The British government said it would send a Rapid Deployment Team to Nepal to coordinate with Nepali authorities and the British Embassy, with a particular focus on the welfare and possible evacuation of British nationals. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the team would be ready to assist British citizens if needed.
Britain had also offered to send rescue workers, but they did not travel after Nepal indicated that British rescue personnel were not needed. Australia similarly offered to send a rescue team, but the team did not arrive after Nepal declined to grant permission.
Earlier, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said foreign assistance was not needed for search-and-rescue operations. Nepal had declined offers from several countries whose citizens were reported missing in the disaster.
Death Toll Nears 1,000
Nepal Police said 974 bodies had been recovered as of 8 p.m. Monday local time, while 4,599 people remained unreachable following the flooding centered in Rasuwa district near Nepal’s border with China. Rescue workers continued searching affected settlements, hydropower facilities and river corridors.
More than 11,300 people have been rescued so far, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said. The Nepali Army has conducted 499 helicopter missions, including 88 flights on Sunday, and evacuated 3,657 people by air — 3,404 Nepalis and 253 foreign nationals. Private-sector operators have conducted 29 additional flights from Kathmandu.
According to a situation update released Monday evening by the Nepal Tourism Board, 315 foreign tourists have been rescued from the Bhotekoshi flood zone. They include 187 from India, 108 from China, four each from Germany and Malta, two each from Italy, Russia, Turkey and the United States, and one each from Bulgaria, Oman, Portugal and Switzerland.
Five additional tourists — three Spanish, one American and one Belgian — remain in contact with officials, while 583 remain out of communication.
The Tourism Board said key infrastructure has been severely damaged, including the Kathmandu-Mugling road, also known as the Prithvi Highway, where river erosion at Krishnabhir caused part of the road to collapse.
Authorities have advised travelers to check the latest road and weather conditions before traveling near affected districts. The Tourism Board also said tourist sites outside the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river corridor remain fully operational.