287 Indians, including eight Malayalis, still missing on fourth day of Nepal floods

NEW DELHI: Four days after flash floods struck Nepal, 287 Indians, including eight Malayalis, remain untraced, while the unofficial death toll has crossed 700. More than 3,000 people are still to be traced, according to unofficial estimates. Among them are 128 people of Indian origin, including those who travelled from the Isha Foundation in Coimbatore for the Mansarovar pilgrimage.

The whereabouts of 933 workers employed at power project sites are also unknown. Fears are growing that more Indian workers could be trapped inside a tunnel in the Trishuli hydropower project area. Two Indian teams specialising in tunnel rescue operations have reached Nepal and begun searches.

Four Indians were rescued from the hydropower project area in Rasuwa. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 88 Indians had been rescued so far.

The arrival in Nepal of 120 Indians stranded on the Chinese side brought some relief. Unofficial reports put the number of bodies recovered at 704, with the death toll expected to rise.

Indian forensic teams have reached Kathmandu to conduct DNA tests and officially establish whether any Indians are among the dead. More than 30 bodies have also reportedly been washed into areas of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar through the Gandak river, which flows along the Nepal border.

Heavy rain hampers rescue operations

Intermittent heavy rain in disaster-hit areas, including Rasuwa, has hampered rescue operations. Work in Trishuli was also suspended at intervals. More than 15,000 security personnel, including over 5,000 Nepal Army personnel, are involved in the rescue operations. The rising water level in the Bhotekoshi river and the formation of two new lakes along the Nepal-China border have heightened fears of another flood. Nepalese authorities said more than 4,450 people, including over 170 foreign nationals, had been rescued.