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Nepal has declined offers of foreign assistance for search and rescue operations following devastating flash floods, saying its own security forces are capable of handling the response.
The country’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that there was currently no need for foreign rescue teams, despite several foreign nationals being reported missing.
The floods on Wednesday devastated several areas, including Rasuwa district along the border with China’s Tibet region, and damaged hydropower projects. The death toll has reportedly approached 500.
According to Reuters, South Korea has already sent a rescue team to Nepal after nine of its nationals went missing while working at a hydropower project. Seoul also wants to send relief supplies, but Kathmandu said it was currently conducting rescue operations on its own.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri said offers of assistance were understandable, but Nepal’s security agencies were conducting search and rescue operations and no such assistance was needed at present.
India, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have reportedly sought permission to send search and rescue teams, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Former Nepalese ambassador to the United Nations Dinesh Bhattarai told Reuters that the government’s decision could be linked to Rasuwa’s sensitive geographical location along the Chinese border. Chhetri, however, denied that the decision had anything to do with China’s sensitivities.
Meanwhile, Nepal has appealed for international financial assistance to help recover from the disaster. Chhetri said several countries and international organisations had already pledged financial support, with arrangements underway.
He added that Nepal could seek foreign experts’ assistance if necessary.
