India is significantly scaling up its humanitarian response to Nepal following catastrophic flash floods triggered by an avalanche on the Bhote Koshi River, with a third relief aircraft carrying 12–13 tonnes of essential supplies expected to depart Friday evening, 28 August, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed. Once airborne, the three flights will have collectively delivered 60 tonnes of relief material to the flood-ravaged neighbouring country.

Flight-by-Flight Relief Timeline

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, addressing a bi-weekly press briefing in New Delhi on Friday, detailed the phased response. The first aircraft departed on 26 August in the evening, carrying 10 tonnes of relief material — including temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps, and medicines.

A second flight followed on 27 August at around 10:30 am, transporting a much larger consignment of 37.5 tonnes that included tents, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps, dewatering pumps, kitchen sets, generator sets, medicines, and food items.

The third flight, expected to leave Friday evening, will carry portable generator sets, dignity kits, food, water purification tablets, and medicines — items specifically requested by the Nepali government. Its load is estimated at 12–13 tonnes, bringing the cumulative total to 60 tonnes.

Tunnel Rescue Team and Bailey Bridges on the Way

Beyond air-delivered supplies, India is preparing a broader on-ground response. Jaiswal said a recce team is being flown in first to assess the situation and equipment requirements before a full tunnel rescue team is deployed, as requested by Nepal.

A medical team is also being dispatched. Additionally, India has offered Bailey bridges along with associated technical teams to rapidly restore road connectivity in affected areas. Notably, one Bailey bridge is already on Nepali soil and ready for deployment in relief and connectivity operations.

Scale of the Disaster

The flash floods, believed to have been set off by an avalanche on a transboundary river between Nepal and China upstream of the Bhote Koshi, have left nearly 550 people dead, with 977 individuals still out of contact. The disaster swept away human settlements, roads, hydropower projects, and transmission infrastructure along the river banks downstream.

This is one of the deadliest flood events Nepal has recorded in recent years, and the scale of destruction to critical infrastructure — particularly hydropower and road networks — points to a recovery challenge that extends well beyond immediate relief.

India's Neighbourhood First Policy in Action

India's rapid mobilisation — with the first flight departing on the same day the crisis unfolded — underscores the operational weight of its Neighbourhood First foreign policy doctrine. This is not the first time India has been Nepal's primary first-responder: similar swift responses were mounted after the 2015 Gorkha earthquake and subsequent flood events. The offer of Bailey bridges and tunnel rescue teams signals that New Delhi is preparing for a prolonged relief-and-reconstruction phase, not just an immediate emergency drop.

As the situation on the ground continues to evolve, further assistance tranches are likely to follow based on assessments by the incoming recce team.