Nepal declines foreign rescue help

Kathmandu, Nepal - Despite offers of assistance from several countries including South Korea, India, China, the US, Britain, Japan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, Nepal declined foreign aid for rescue operations following a devastating flash flood that swept through several towns, according to the country's foreign ministry. The flood, which tore through areas such as Rasuwa district near China's border, left at least 500 people dead and many more missing.

The foreign ministry stated that Nepal's security agencies were managing the rescue efforts, and that they did not require additional assistance at the moment. South Korea, however, has pledged USD 1 million in humanitarian aid through international organizations, and has already dispatched a response team to Nepal that will also send a disaster relief team.

South Korea's foreign ministry noted that Nepal had not indicated any immediate plans to accept foreign rescue teams. South Korean officials are continuing discussions with Nepal on the matter. South Korean citizens working at a hydropower plant in the affected region are among the missing and stranded. An expert suggested that Nepal's reluctance to accept foreign teams might be linked to the flood-affected region's proximity to China's Tibet, a region of significant diplomatic sensitivity for Beijing.

However, the foreign ministry emphasized that the decision was independent of China's concerns, as Nepal's own rescue teams were handling the operation.