Nepal declines foreign rescue teams despite hundreds missing after flash floods

Nepal's Foreign Ministry said Friday that it does not need international search-and-rescue assistance following the devastating flash floods that tore through its northern border region on Wednesday, even as hundreds of foreign nationals from more than 30 countries remain missing and South Korea said it would continue pressing for access to the disaster zone.

"The offer for help is natural. Our security agencies are doing the search and rescue operation. For now we don't require such help," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri told Reuters.reuters

Multiple Countries Rebuffed

India, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have all asked Nepal to allow their search-and-rescue teams into the affected area, according to the Kathmandu Post. Nepal turned down each request, citing coordination problems it experienced during the 2015 earthquake, when an influx of foreign teams created management difficulties. The decision was taken on the recommendation of the Nepali Army and police.kathmandupost

South Korea's foreign ministry said Nepal had indicated it was "not yet planning to accept foreign rescue teams" and that Seoul would "keep negotiating" over the matter. Nine South Korean workers employed by Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power Co. (KOEN) at a hydropower construction site in Rasuwa district have been unaccounted for since Wednesday. Ten other South Korean nationals affiliated with Doosan Enerbility were confirmed safe after evacuating with roughly 200 foreign employees.Koreajoongangdaily+2

South Korea has already dispatched a rapid-response team to Kathmandu and plans to send a disaster relief unit as well. Seoul has committed $1 million in humanitarian aid through international organizations.nypost

Sensitivity of the Border Region

A former Nepali ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Dinesh Bhattarai, suggested the government's reluctance may be linked to the sensitivity of Rasuwa district, which borders China's Tibet region. "They may have thought about the locational sensitivity of the region and decided not to accept foreign teams," Bhattarai told Reuters. Chhetri denied this, saying the decision was based solely on Nepal's own capacity to manage the operation.reuters

The death toll from the flood has risen to close to 500, with about 1,300 people still missing — more than half of them foreign nationals. Nepal has directed all international financial assistance through the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and said it would seek additional support during the reconstruction phase.ynetnews+1