Search for missing Indian pilgrims in Nepal floods turns grim as US diplomat pledges support

Highlights:

• At least 75 US citizens are missing after the August 26 tsunami-like surge that struck the China-Nepal border crossing.
• Dr Ishan Patel, a University of Minnesota surgeon, and his wife are among those missing after their hotel was swept away.
• Nepal's disaster authority has recovered 1,367 bodies and logged 5,132 missing people so far.
• No bodies retrieved in Tibet after the floods have been confirmed as Indian nationals, though many missing are believed to be of Indian origin.
• The US embassy has pledged $500,000 in emergency assistance and deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team.

NONE of the bodies retrieved in Tibet after the devastating floods that destroyed the Gyirong border crossing with Nepal were foreign nationals, China's state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday (8).

At least 75 US citizens are missing after the August 26 tsunami-like surge at the China-Nepal border crossing, with water, mud and debris, which began on the China-Nepal border and left more than 1,410 people dead and 5,651 missing.

A total of 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries remained unaccounted for, Chinese officials said, as they began to confirm the identities of some victims.

The scale of the disaster

In Nepal, 1,367 bodies have been recovered and 5,132 people are missing, its disaster authority said on Wednesday (9). Meanwhile, the United States appointed Megan Bouldin as chargé d'affaires at the embassy in Kathmandu to support Nepal's rescue and relief efforts following the devastating August 26 floods.

Bouldin arrived in Kathmandu to provide surge support as chargé d'affaires for the next few months and work with deputy chief of mission Scott Urbom to lead the embassy's flood response and recovery, the US Embassy in Nepal said in a statement on Tuesday (8).

The US government had pledged $500,000 in emergency assistance for Rasuwa flood victims.

In America, 30 lawmakers, including five Indian Americans, wrote to secretary of state Marco Rubio, urging him to use every available resource to ensure the safety and recovery of US citizens affected by the devastating floods.

Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Suhas Subramanyam, Shri Thanedar and Pramila Jayapal were among those who urged the State Department to make daily updates to the family members of those missing, deploy high-altitude assets and thermal/infrared drones to help search.

An American family among the missing

"We support the Department's announcement of $500,000 in assistance through its global award with Catholic Relief Services to support emergency shelter, relief items, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance, as well as the $3.6 million in humanitarian assistance announced on August 29," the lawmakers wrote.

"Nonetheless, given the unprecedented loss of life and countless missing persons, we urge the Department to do much more," they said.

They also urged Rubio to deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to affected communities.

They also urged the State Department to continue diplomatic outreach to Nepal, China and donor countries to facilitate updates about missing American citizens for their family members.

Authorities in Nepal appealed on Wednesday (9) for overseas family members of the missing, preferably parents or children, to submit DNA samples via email.

A public notice outlined specific types of genetic tests the family members should seek depending on their sex and relationship to the missing person. Nepal Police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said security personnel have involved community members in the search for bodies buried under debris.

"We have started a special search campaign for missing bodies all across the Bhotekoshi river corridor," he said.

"We are also using drones to search for bodies."

Foreign experts, including those from China, India and South Korea, are aiding Nepali teams, while rescuers are focusing on three missing hydropower projects where they believe workers could still be trapped.

Nepal has asked the international community for urgent supplies, including high-capacity drones, Bailey bridges, DNA testing kits, tunnel rescue suits and items for epidemic prevention, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Chinese officials said Beijing would promptly release "updated information on the disaster situation and rescue activities". Last Sunday (6), China for the first time invited journalists from eight foreign media outlets to visit the core affected areas.

Dr Ishan Patel, of the University of Minnesota, was in Nepal with his family and had been declared missing, the university's department of orthopedic surgery said on Tuesday (8).

Patel and his family, who were in Nepal on a pilgrimage, were likely at their hotel when the flash floods struck. The hotel was swept away, the university said.