Flash floods in Nepal: Why Kathmandu was rejected by foreign rescue teams and the lessons of the 2015 earthquake | Today’s news
Flash floods in Nepal: Nepal’s government has rejected offers from several countries to send search and rescue teams to the Himalayan nation as hundreds, including foreign nationals, remain missing since Wednesday’s floods.
Instead, Nepal wants cash contributions through a single door mechanism, Kathmandu Post it said, quoting officials who said that additional financial assistance and additional support would be required during the reconstruction phase. In the one-door mechanism, foreigners’ relatives can contact them directly.
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Nepal has rejected offers from abroad for rescue teams to avoid the coordination problems experienced in the 2015 earthquake, saying operations could be handled by its own security agencies.
Several countries, including the US and the UK, have announced financial aid, with the US pledging US$500,000 and other nations offering rescue, rehabilitation and reconstruction support.
Search and rescue operations are being managed by Nepalese security agencies, with additional humanitarian assistance being sought during the reconstruction phase, focusing on monetary contributions rather than foreign rescue teams.
The government learned that the influx of foreign rescue teams during the 2015 earthquake led to significant coordination problems, necessitating a different approach with the recent floods.
Yes, foreign countries can still provide aid, especially financial contributions, which the Nepalese government has emphasized as more effective than sending rescue teams.
Read also | Nepal floods live updates: Nepal Army says working to rescue 100 trapped people
Some countries, incl United Stateshave already announced financial aid, while others have offered help in rescue, rehabilitation and reconstruction in Nepal.
Flash floods in Nepal: Death toll exceeds 469
The death toll from the flash flood has so far reached 469, Nepalese police said on Friday, according to Reuters.
The Nepalese government has received several official and unofficial requests from countries and organizations to send its own search and rescue teams, the Kathmandu Post reported, citing a senior foreign ministry official. However, the government told them that they own Nepal security agencies are able to handle the operation, the Post reported.
India, China, the US, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have offered the help of their search and rescue teams during the search and rescue operations, the report said.
Rescued residents react to meet family members at an army camp following flash floods in the town of Battar Bazar in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on August 28, 2026. Devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border have killed at least 469 people, Nepalese police said on August 28, 48 hours after the disaster. (Photo by PRABIN RANABHAT/AFP)(AFP)
India has requested permission to deploy its national disaster response forces in Nepal. The government in Nepal rejected the request.
“We received similar requests from China and other countries, but had to decline the request,” a State Department official was quoted as saying by the Post.
Flash floods in Nepal: Lessons from the 2015 earthquake
The government did so after its experience in the 2015 earthquake, when the influx of foreign search and rescue teams and competition between countries caused significant coordination and management problems, the post said, citing officials.
The decision was taken on the recommendation of the Nepal Army and Police.
On April 25, 2015, Nepal was hit by a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8. Nearly 9,000 people died and more than 22,000 were injured in Nepal and neighboring countries.
The epicenter was located in Barpak village of Gorkha district and it is the worst natural disaster to hit Nepal since the 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthquake.
As many as 178 Indians, 65 Americans, 51 Malaysians, 53 Ukrainians, 33 British, 35 Australians, 25 Canadians and nationals of three dozen other countries have been missing since Wednesday, Nepalese police said. Chinese officials said at least 100 Chinese nationals are out of touch in Nepal.
Read also | Flash floods in Nepal: What caused the massive mudslide that engulfed Rasuwa district?
In New Delhi, Foreign Office said on Thursday that more than 290 Indian nationals were trapped in the floods and were requesting evacuation.
About 200 Indians who were on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra were stranded on the Chinese side, the MEA said. As many as 21 people from Tamil Nadu have been rescued, the ministry added.
The ministry also said that India handed over a second shipment of humanitarian aid to Nepal, including 37.5 tonnes of HADR material, medicine and food parcels, amid deadly flash flooding that has killed 389 people and left nearly 1,500 missing.
Flash floods in Nepal: India, other countries offered help
Financial support has already been announced by the USA, Great Britain and the World Bank.
School children wait for a transit flight at Trishuli camp after being trapped by flash floods in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on August 28, 2026. China and Nepal have warned of the risks of fresh flooding, complicating rescuers’ search for more than 1,400 people missing after a deadly deluge and landslides swept away entire villages along their remote Himalayan border. (Photo: Arun SANKAR/AFP)(AFP)
United States and World Health Organization (WHO) extended support and expressed solidarity with Nepal after devastating flash floods, with Washington announcing $500,000 in aid and WHO sending emergency medical supplies. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the US is ready to support the government of Nepal with humanitarian aid.
Read also | Flash floods in Nepal: 290 Indians remain uncontactable, 84 rescued
Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda said on social media that he had reached out to the prime minister Balendra Shah to convey that ADB stands with Nepal and its people.
We received similar requests from China and other countries but had to decline the request.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, during a call with Nepali Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, expressed strong support for the British government of Nepal and asked about ongoing rescue efforts, including the search for missing British nationals.
(With inputs from Kathmandu Post)
