320 Indians Still Untraceable After Nepal Floods: MEA Gives Update

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said more than 400 Indian nationals stranded on the Chinese side of the Nepal-China border are safe, as efforts continue to establish contact with hundreds of others affected by the devastating floods in Nepal.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian Embassy in Beijing is in touch with several Indians in the affected areas through local authorities, team leaders and travel agents. Families of those stranded have also been contacting the embassy through helpline numbers.

“There are around 400 Indian nationals. Our embassy is in touch with several of them, in fact, with their team leaders and their travel agent. Many of their family members also contacted us through the helpline numbers that our embassy is running right now in Beijing,” Jaiswal said.

#WATCH | Delhi: On Nepal flash flood, MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "... On the Chinese side, we have 400 Indian nationals. They are safe. They have been in touch with their family... Our embassy has been in touch with several of them...

Many of their family… pic.twitter.com/2zZOcJyoy2 The MEA stressed that the situation remains fluid and that the numbers could change as authorities receive fresh information. “We are in a dynamic situation, so figures keep going up and down,” Jaiswal said.

Of the Indians affected by the crisis, 96 have already made their way to Nepal, while 21 others who reached Kathmandu have since arrived in Delhi. The 21, all from Tamil Nadu, landed in the national capital on an IndiGo flight.

He added that 63 Indian nationals working at the Trishuli One hydropower project, whose evacuation was reported earlier, were also safely rescued. Meanwhile, 96 Indian nationals who had been stranded on the Chinese side have safely reached Nepal by land.

Efforts are underway to evacuate them from there. Jaiswal said the number of Indians currently uncontactable or missing stands at 320. In addition, around 100 people of Indian origin are also untraceable. They may have travelled to the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra but hold citizenship of another country.

While the Indians currently stranded in China have been confirmed safe, the Indian government is coordinating with Chinese authorities to work out their evacuation. “Our embassy is in touch with local authorities in China, and they are working out how these people who are there can be evacuated,” Jaiswal said.

He reiterated that the more than 400 Indians on the Chinese side were safe and that communication remained possible in several locations. The latest update comes as India steps up efforts to assist its citizens and provide relief to flood-hit Nepal.

The disaster has killed at least 538 people in Nepal and five in China, while hundreds remain missing. India is also preparing to send a third relief flight to Nepal, with the aircraft expected to depart on Friday evening.