403 Indian nationals cross into Nepal from China; forensics team from India begins work on DNA samples

AS MANY as 403 Indian nationals safely crossed into Nepal from China on Sunday and 500 Indians are still in China and safe, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday. However, the ministry did not give any update on the missing Indians.

On Saturday, as search and rescue operations continued in Nepal for the fourth day, the ministry had said 275 Indian nationals and another 128 people of Indian origin – mostly Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims — remained missing.

On Sunday, the MEA on its X handle shared a list of 149 people who were rescued. It also said that a “19-member specialized forensics team from India began functioning in Kathmandu today”. “This team will help augment the analysis of DNA samples in Nepal for identification of the mortal remains of the victims.

Ambassador of India to Nepal [Naveen Srivastava] met and briefed the forensics team. Subsequently, the team had discussions with counterparts in Nepal Police's Central Forensic Science Lab Laboratory in Kathmandu and the Forensics Department of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital,” it said.

About the Indian tunnel rescue team, the MEA said, “Tunnel Rescue Operations Team continued its work today and supplemented the research and rescue efforts of Nepali Army at hydropower sites in Chilime and Langtang.” “The team was able to enter a tunnel near the Langtang hydroelectric project and retrieve the mortal remains of one person in spite of inclement weather.

This team is continuing its support operations near the Langtang hydroelectric project,” it said. The death toll from flash floods in Nepal rose to 788 on Sunday, with bodies continuing to be recovered, as authorities warned of increased water levels in the Bhotekoshi river and urged residents and rescue personnel in flood-hit districts to remain alert.

More than 2,500 people still remain missing, while nearly 9,500 people were rescued, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). In a statement issued on Sunday, the NDRRMA warned that water levels in the Bhotekoshi river had risen again.

“The water level in the flooded Bhotekoshi river has risen to some extent; all concerned are urged to take precautionary measures," it said, adding that it will provide updates on the situation after receiving additional information.

As many as 2,502 people, including 591 foreigners, remain missing in Nepal following the disaster, according to authorities. Nearly 9,500 people were rescued from flood-affected areas until Sunday evening, which includes locals and tourists from multiple countries, including India, the US, China and Russia among others, officials said.

India has provided 68.5 tonnes of relief materials and sent technical teams, forensic experts and equipment to assist in search and rescue operations, according to the Indian embassy in Kathmandu. “The fourth flight, carrying 11 tons of relief materials, has arrived in Nepal, and those relief materials have been handed over,” the Indian mission said.

“This includes a tunnel technical team equipped for search and rescue operations, a team of forensic experts for DNA analysis, and relief materials such as blankets, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, plastic sheets, and hygiene kits.” Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 27 years now.

Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting and writing explainers and analysis on foreign affairs for about 19 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper.

He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He won the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award, 2023, for the second time for his reporting of the Oct 7 attacks on Israel and the war in Gaza.

He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021.

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