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🇮🇳 India /Disasters & Emergencies

Congress MP Tharoor Praises Govt's Nepal Flood Rescue Efforts, Offers Suggestions

From Hindustan Times · () English

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

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Congress MP Shashi Tharoor praised the Indian government's rescue efforts for Indians missing in Nepal's flash floods.
  • He acknowledged the swift response, including relief materials and medical teams, but urged for more resources like NDRF contingents and heavy-lift helicopters.
  • Tharoor highlighted the ongoing efforts to rescue stranded individuals, noting the urgency as time passes.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has commended the Indian government's response to the devastating flash floods in Nepal, which have claimed over 669 lives and left more than 2,000 people missing. In a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Tharoor acknowledged the swift and substantial actions taken by India, including the Prime Minister's early outreach, multiple tranches of relief material, and the deployment of medical and rescue teams.

India's response has been swift and substantial. The Prime Minister's early outreach to Kathmandu, the four tranches of relief material, the eleven-member team of doctors, paramedics and tunnel rescue experts, and the control room and Embassy helplines have all made a difference

— Shashi TharoorPraising the government's initial response in a letter to the External Affairs Minister.

Ambassador Naveen Srivastava and his team in Nepal were also recognized for their round-the-clock efforts. Tharoor specifically mentioned the return of a group from Tibet and the rescue of Indian workers at Trishuli-1 as moments of hope for affected families. He conveyed gratitude from these families to the minister, stating that their efforts have made a difference.

The return of the group from Tibet, whom you personally received at the airport, gave many families their first moment of hope in three days. The rescue of the Indian workers at Trishuli- 1 was a genuine triumph

— Shashi TharoorHighlighting specific successful rescue operations.

However, Tharoor urged the government to match its efforts to the scale and urgency of the disaster. He requested a full National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) contingent and heavy-lift helicopters to aid in the rescue operations. The MP emphasized the need to "pull out all stops" to find stranded individuals, noting that "every hour that passes narrows the ground on which hope can still stand."

It is precisely because of this that I feel compelled to urge that our efforts now be matched to the scale and urgency of what has happened

— Shashi TharoorJustifying the request for increased resources.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, 320 Indian nationals remain uncontactable, a figure Tharoor pointed out, though the latest MEA tally is 287. Many of the missing were pilgrims en route to Kailash Mansarovar. The flash floods were triggered by an ice-rock avalanche following a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border, which inundated towns and villages and damaged critical infrastructure.

Every hour that passes narrows the ground on which hope can still stand

— Shashi TharoorEmphasizing the urgency of the rescue operations.
About this summary

Originally published by Hindustan Times 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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