Nepal has turned down the assistance of foreign rescue teams while South Korea continues its negotiations
Nepal has turned away foreign rescue teams following the catastrophic floods, whereas South Korea is in discussions to gain access as the number of missing nationals and fatalities continues to rise.
Nepal has turned down offers from multiple countries to send foreign search-and-rescue teams after catastrophic flash floods ravaged several towns, resulting in nearly 500 fatalities and leaving hundreds of foreign nationals unaccounted for.
Nepal’s Foreign Ministry stated on Friday that the nation is equipped to manage the rescue operation independently, despite appeals from countries such as South Korea, India, China, the United States, Britain, Japan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh to provide specialist teams.
The proposal to assist is instinctive. Our security agencies are conducting the search and rescue operation. “Currently, we do not need such assistance,” stated Lok Bahadur Chhetri, spokesperson for Nepal’s Foreign Ministry, without elaborating further.
The floods caused widespread destruction in areas such as Rasuwa district near the Chinese border, obliterating entire towns, damaging hydropower projects, and resulting in the loss of nearly 500 lives.
Hundreds of foreign nationals, including individuals from South Korea, remain unaccounted for. Seoul announced that it has already deployed a response team to Nepal and intends to send a disaster relief team as well.
However, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry stated that Nepal had indicated it was not yet planning to accept foreign rescue teams.
“South Korea will continue discussions with Nepal regarding the issue,” the ministry stated.
According to its foreign minister, South Korea has pledged $1 million in humanitarian assistance through international organizations, as announced on X.
Nine South Koreans employed at a hydropower plant have been reported missing, and an additional 10 individuals are stranded, according to a statement from South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.
The Kathmandu Post reported that Nepal’s government received requests from India, China, the United States, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh to permit their search-and-rescue teams to aid in the operation.
Dinesh Bhattarai, a former Nepali ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, proposed that the government’s hesitance to welcome foreign rescue teams might be linked to the delicate nature of Rasuwa district, which shares a border with China’s Tibet region.
“They might have considered the locational sensitivity of the region and opted not to accept foreign teams,” Bhattarai informed Reuters.
Chhetri, however, dismissed that explanation, asserting that the decision had no connection to China and was instead grounded in Nepal’s evaluation that its rescue teams were equipped to handle the operation.
