Neighbourly Support: Nepal PM Balendra Shah Thanks India And China For Flood Assistance

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra "Balen" Shah has thanked India, China and the United States for their timely assistance following devastating flash floods along the Bhotekoshi River that have claimed more than 1,200 lives across the country. Addressing the Nepali Parliament on Tuesday, Shah acknowledged that emergency response teams and relief supplies sent by neighbouring countries and other international partners played a significant role in Nepal's response to the disaster, which swept away villages, roads, hydropower facilities and other critical infrastructure across at least three affected districts a week ago.

The devastating floods struck the Bhotekoshi River area of Rasuwa district on August 26, later spreading to affect communities along the Trishuli River in Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan and other districts across the country. According to figures presented by Shah during his parliamentary address, 1,114 bodies had been recovered at the time of his remarks, while 3,916 people remained unaccounted for and 292 others had sustained injuries. A total of 11,993 people had been rescued as emergency operations continued. By Wednesday evening, the confirmed death toll had climbed further to 1,204, with more than 4,200 people still listed as missing, including 275 Indian pilgrims and tourists believed to have been in the affected areas at the time of the disaster.

Addressing lawmakers, Shah specifically thanked India, China and the United States for stepping forward with support during what he described as an extremely difficult period for the country. "In these difficult times, we got support from various countries, including India, China, the US, and others. We got support from various banks," Shah told Parliament, also acknowledging financial assistance extended by banking institutions as part of the broader disaster response effort. India and China were reportedly among the first nations to dispatch both relief supplies and specialised rescue assistance to flood-affected areas of Nepal, reflecting the strategic and humanitarian significance both neighbouring countries continue to attach to disaster response cooperation with Kathmandu.

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During his address, Shah also fielded questions from lawmakers regarding the government's overall handling of the disaster, including the adequacy of early warning systems, the handling of unidentified bodies recovered from the flood zone, and coordination between federal, provincial and local government authorities during the emergency response. He rejected suggestions that the government had deliberately delayed the arrival of foreign assistance, defending the timeline of Nepal's own emergency response and the subsequent coordination with international partners.

The scale of the disaster has drawn significant global attention, with search and rescue operations continuing to focus on hydropower project tunnels where a number of workers, including several foreign nationals, are believed to remain trapped or unaccounted for. Nepal's House of Representatives also adopted a special motion on Wednesday formally expressing grief over the deaths and extensive damage caused by the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli floods, underscoring the scale of national mourning surrounding what has emerged as one of the country's deadliest natural disasters in recent years.

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