Tunnels and tough terrain: Indian Army joins Nepal's flood rescue effort

The Indian Army has joined Nepal's flood rescue effort, working through challenging conditions at the Chilime and Langtang tunnel sites. Technical teams set up safety ropes inside the Chilime tunnel entrance despite the poor weather and rugged terrain. At Langtang, they probed 185 meters into the tunnel, collaborating with Nepali forces in a slow and cautious search due to unstable conditions.

This deployment was requested by Nepal, with India sending specialized personnel trained for tunnel search and rescue. India and Nepal have a history of coordinating on disaster response, with the recent operation reflecting their smooth teamwork. The Indian army and air force have previously collaborated on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations, including the 2015 earthquake that devastated parts of Nepal.

The Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, visited the Nepali Army's base in Bidur, Nuwakot, to meet with the technical teams and discuss the operation's progress and remaining challenges. The ambassador also met with Nepal's Home Minister and the Minister for Energy and Water Resources. Rescue work is expected to continue, with India and Nepal maintaining a long-standing relationship in disaster response, including a previous tunnel rescue operation where the army's engineers successfully rescued 41 trapped workers in challenging mountainous terrain.