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🇳🇵 Nepal /Disasters & Emergencies

Basana Thapa Accuses Government of Failing in Post-Flood Rescue Effort

From OnlineKhabar English · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Nepali Congress chief whip Basana Thapa said the government handled the first two days of the Rasuwa flood response as well as its limited resources allowed, but failed to develop a proper plan afterward.
  • She questioned why rescue teams could not quickly reach some tunnels despite authorities having construction maps and technical information.
  • Thapa said people outside the tunnels were rescued, but those inside, including the Upper Trishuli 3A tunnel, remained unreachable.

Basana Thapa says Nepal’s government lost control of the Rasuwa flood rescue effort after the first two days. The Nepali Congress chief whip told the Infrastructure Development Committee that the initial response had matched the state’s limited resources, but that officials failed to plan once the immediate panic subsided.

“When the flood struck suddenly and it was an emergency, the state, the government and all of us did what we could within two days. I have no particular complaint about that. Given our limited resources, there was not much more we could have done, and we did what was possible during those two days,” Thapa said.

When the flood struck suddenly and it was an emergency, the state, the government and all of us did what we could within two days. I have no particular complaint about that. Given our limited resources, there was not much more we could have done, and we did what was possible during those two days.

· Basana ThapaThapa acknowledged the government's initial response to the sudden flood.

Her criticism focused on what happened next. “But after two days, we had largely regained control and had also come out of that state of panic. We should have moved ahead with proper pre-planning after that, but we failed to do so. We have to acknowledge that we failed,” she said.

But after two days, we had largely regained control and had also come out of that state of panic. We should have moved ahead with proper pre-planning after that, but we failed to do so. We have to acknowledge that we failed.

· Basana ThapaThapa criticized the government's post-emergency planning.

Thapa also questioned why technical teams could not reach the vicinity of several affected tunnels. Maps and technical details prepared during construction were available to the relevant authorities, she said, yet rescue teams were unable to use them to reach some sites promptly.

She accused the government of falsely claiming that people trapped inside the tunnels had been rescued. People outside the tunnels and in nearby areas had been reached, Thapa said, but those inside remained inaccessible. She called for greater attention to the Upper Trishuli 3A tunnel, where she said there was still hope that trapped people might be alive.

Whether in the media or here in front of us, we have to say clearly that we failed. The construction plans of those tunnels should have been available to us as well. But technical teams could not even reach the vicinity of some of the tunnels immediately.

· Basana ThapaThapa questioned the failure to use tunnel plans and reach trapped people.
About this summary

Originally published by OnlineKhabar English in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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