India steps up efforts as hundreds missing in Nepal floods
India has dispatched a second tranche of relief supplies to flood-affected Nepal on Thursday, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said.
"A second flight has just taken off, carrying 37.5 tonnes of HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) material, medicines and food packets for Nepal," he said in a post on X, accompanied by a video which showed the material being loaded onto a military aircraft.
A second flight has just taken off, carrying 37.5 tonnes of HADR material, medicines & food packets for Nepal.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 27, 2026
India remains in close and continuous touch with the Nepalese authorities. We will continue to strongly support the ongoing relief efforts.
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On Wednesday, India had sent 10 tonnes of aid material, including essential medicines.
However, no disaster relief team has been sent to sites so far, India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) IG Narendra Singh Bundela said in a press conference on Thursday morning.
"At present, no NDRF team has been sent to Nepal. Teams have been kept on standby. If a request is received from the Nepal government and the Government of India decides accordingly, an NDRF team will be sent," several media outlets reported him saying.
Indian Embassies in Nepal and China said they had set up helplines for information on Indian nationals impacted by the floods.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with his Nepali counterpart Balendra Shah on Wednesday to express condolences on the lives lost. "India is prepared to provide Nepal with all possible types of humanitarian assistance. Our teams are closely coordinating on rescue and relief efforts," he had said in a post on X.
Over 170 Indians missing in Nepal-Tibet floods
More than 170 Indians were unaccounted for in the Nepal-Tibet flash floods, Nepal's tourism officials said on Thursday, as Indian authorities coordinated with their Nepalese counterparts on rescue and relief efforts.
Nepal's police and tourism officials said that of the 800 tourists missing in the country, 177 were from India. Meanwhile, Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on Thursday said that over 300 Indian tourists were missing. He was speaking to journalists from Indian news channel NDTV World at the Anviksha Summit in Kathmandu.
"Foreign nationals, including Indians, take the route in the affected area to the Mansarovar Yatra. Close to 300 Indians have been reported missing and the government is trying to establish contact with them," Khanal said. Kailash Mansarovar is a high-altitude site in China's Tibet revered by Hindus and Buddhists.
At least 165 people have died in the flash floods which occurred at the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday. Over 1,300 were missing in both Nepal and Tibet. Nepal's police authorities have said they expect the death toll to rise.
Several Indian states have reported that dozens of their residents were among those missing in Nepal, as per local media reports.
Verified videos of the disaster showed massive masses of debris-laden water sweeping away dozens of people at various locations. The disaster has washed away homes and villages. ALSO READ: Not Earthquake! USGS Reveals What Triggered Nepal Flash Floods
