A total of 166 Indian nationals have been rescued from flood-ravaged Nepal as of 2 September, with three more evacuated on Wednesday, as New Delhi continues to scale up its humanitarian response to catastrophic flash floods that have killed more than 1,100 people. Separately, 410 Indian nationals who were in the Tibet Autonomous Region for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra or other activities left China on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

India's Relief Operation Intensifies

A fifth Indian Air Force (IAF) flight touched down in Kathmandu on Wednesday, carrying approximately 5.5 tonnes of medical supplies — including antibiotics, analgesics, surgical items, and other essential medicines. The aircraft also transported an 11-member specialised rescue team along with more than 6 tonnes of rescue equipment.

With this latest delivery, India has now dispatched a cumulative 74 tonnes of relief assistance to Nepal. The fresh tranche was formally handed over to the local government by Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava.

Tunnel Rescue Progress at Chilime

The MEA confirmed that the Indian tunnel rescue team relocated its base from Trishuli to Syabrubesi on Wednesday to cut travel time to Chilime, where active search operations are under way. Working alongside the Nepali Army through deep slush and internal blockages, the team advanced approximately 100 metres inside the tunnel on Wednesday alone.

According to the MEA statement, the team is also exploring an improvised road approach to the tunnel mouth to allow heavier equipment to be deployed. The 11 rescue experts who arrived Wednesday have positioned themselves near Trishuli Bazaar and are expected to begin operations on Thursday in coordination with the Nepali Army.

An Indian forensics team is simultaneously operating across two laboratories in Kathmandu, conducting DNA sample examination and analysis in collaboration with Nepali counterparts — a step that signals the scale of the human toll and the complexity of victim identification.

Scale of the Disaster

At least 1,114 bodies had been recovered by 9 am on Wednesday, according to Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). Around 3,916 people remain out of contact. The disaster was triggered on 26 August when a glacial collapse in Tibet blocked the Lengde Khola, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi River near the Nepal-China border. The accumulated water breached the natural barrier, unleashing a massive flood that swept downstream into the Trishuli River valley, devastating settlements and critical infrastructure.

Nepal PM Calls for Global Climate Attention

Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah addressed the House of Representatives on Wednesday, calling for stronger international attention to climate-related risks in the Himalayan region. Shah said Nepal must more forcefully highlight the disasters it is experiencing as a consequence of climate change.

'The huge disaster, whose impacts of climate change we have suddenly experienced, has kept us working around the clock to manage the damage. At the same time, another profound question has arisen in our minds: How did this disaster come upon us?' Shah said.

Experts have attributed the event to a glacial avalanche that dammed a river tributary before catastrophically failing — a pattern increasingly associated with accelerating glacial melt in the high Himalayas. This is not the first such incident; Nepal has recorded multiple glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in recent decades, but the scale of this event has prompted renewed urgency around early-warning infrastructure and cross-border data sharing with China.

What Comes Next

India's rescue and relief operation is expected to intensify in the coming days as the heavier equipment reaches the Chilime tunnel site. The forensic DNA work in Kathmandu will be critical for families of the nearly 3,916 still unaccounted for. Nepal's government faces mounting pressure both domestically and internationally to accelerate recovery, rebuild damaged infrastructure, and push for binding climate accountability mechanisms in multilateral forums.