Nepal rejects foreign rescue teams after deadly Bhotekoshi flood

Nepal has declined offers from several countries to deploy search-and-rescue teams to help locate people missing after a devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River, opting instead to rely on its own security forces and seek international assistance through financial support, The Kathmandu Post reported.

The government believes the Nepal Army and police have sufficient capacity to conduct the search operation. Officials were also guided by Nepal’s experience after the 2015 earthquake, when the arrival of large numbers of foreign rescue teams created additional difficulties in coordinating relief and search efforts.

India, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had offered to send rescue personnel.

Nepal has instead decided to coordinate international assistance through a single financial mechanism rather than directly incorporating foreign rescue teams into the search operation.

The United States, the United Kingdom and the World Bank have already announced financial support for Nepal, while India has sent more than 47.5 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Kathmandu.

The decision comes as the scale of the disaster continues to emerge. The death toll from Wednesday’s massive flooding along the Bhotekoshi River has risen to 475, while 667 tourists have been reported missing.

Nepalese army and police personnel continue to search for survivors and missing people in affected areas.

By Tamilla Hasanova