Nepal Declines Foreign Rescue Aid After Deadly Flash Flood

Nepal has said it does not currently require foreign search-and-rescue assistance following a devastating flash flood that killed nearly 500 people and left hundreds of foreign nationals missing.

The disaster struck several towns on Wednesday, including areas in Rasuwa district near Nepal’s border with China. Floodwaters destroyed settlements, damaged hydropower facilities and triggered a large-scale search for survivors and missing people.

Despite offers of assistance from several governments, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry said domestic security agencies were capable of managing rescue operations.

“The offer for help is natural. Our security agencies are doing the search-and-rescue operation. For now we don’t require such help,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri said Friday.

According to the Kathmandu Post, India, China, the United States, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh offered to deploy search-and-rescue teams.

South Korea said Nepal had indicated it was not yet prepared to accept foreign rescue personnel. Seoul plans to continue discussions with Kathmandu and has pledged $1 million in humanitarian assistance through international organizations. Nine South Koreans working at a hydropower plant were reported missing, while another 10 were stranded.

Questions have emerged over whether the flood zone’s proximity to China’s Tibet region influenced Nepal’s decision. Former Nepali diplomat Dinesh Bhattarai suggested authorities may have considered the location’s political sensitivity when declining foreign teams.

Chhetri rejected that explanation, saying Nepal’s decision was unrelated to China and reflected the ability of domestic teams to conduct rescue operations.

Meanwhile, Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited the disaster-hit Gyirong area on Thursday and called for maximum efforts to find survivors. He also instructed authorities to strengthen coordination on emergencies involving foreign nationals.

Chinese President Xi Jinping extended condolences to Nepal’s president on Friday as rescue operations continued.

With hundreds still unaccounted for, Nepalese authorities remain focused on locating survivors, assessing widespread flood damage and responding to one of the country’s deadliest recent natural disasters.