Severe torrents, flash floods, and massive landslides caused by sudden heavy downpours have wreaked havoc across the mountain terrains of Nepal and the Tibet region along the India-China border. The natural calamity has left hundreds of Indian nationals stranded in remote border sectors. Responding to the crisis, India's Ministry of External Affairs has launched extensive tracing and rescue operations to locate and evacuate the affected citizens. Official data indicates that approximately 290 Indian nationals are currently untraceable across various disaster-hit regions of Nepal. Furthermore, nearly 200 Indian citizens are stranded in the China-controlled Tibet region, where emergency repatriation efforts are underway. The Ministry of External Affairs is maintaining continuous coordination with Indian diplomatic missions, local administrative bodies, and commercial tour operators in both neighboring nations.
Breakdown of 290 Untraceable Citizens Across Nepal
Indian diplomatic officials in Nepal are executing comprehensive tracking procedures to establish the precise coordinates of every stranded individual. According to official disclosures by the Ministry of External Affairs, the 290 unreachable citizens have been classified into five distinct operational groups. Establishing immediate communication with these clusters remains the primary objective for emergency response teams.
The first category involves essential infrastructure personnel assigned to power generation. A total of 73 Indian nationals are employed at the Trishuli-I Power Project. Authorities confirmed that communication has been successfully maintained with the project head, allowing officials to continuously monitor the overall safety and living conditions of the workforce on-site.
Meanwhile, two separate travel contingents originating from Tamil Nadu have gone missing in the affected terrain. These groups comprise 37 and 49 citizens respectively, making a total of 86 individuals. They had traveled to Nepal through private agencies, namely Samrat Travels and Fly Everest Travels. Indian representatives are working closely with local agency managers to identify the last known transit points of both groups.
Travelers from eastern and southern Indian states are also stranded across different mountain districts. A team of 32 citizens from West Bengal had journeyed to Timure in Rasuwa district via Samrat Travels, but all communication with the group was severed following the landslides. Similarly, a multi-state group of 61 citizens arranged by Richa Tours had headed towards the Keung region and remains entirely out of contact. In addition, 33 Indian nationals from Kerala are currently untraceable in Nepal. Severe damage to local telecommunication infrastructure has created major hurdles in establishing phone contact with these groups.
Status and Movement of 200 Indians Stranded Along the Tibet Border
Apart from the emergency in Nepal, a significant number of Indian nationals are stranded in high-altitude zones near the China border in Tibet. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal provided key updates on the situation, confirming that approximately 200 Indian citizens located near the China border are safe. However, due to harsh weather conditions and damaged road networks, they require immediate evacuation assistance and logistical support to return home.
The Ministry of External Affairs released a detailed geographic mapping of the stranded individuals across Tibet. Around 95 Indian nationals are currently located in Darchen, while 4 citizens remain stuck in Jilong City. Additionally, a group of approximately 30 Indians is present in Jutulphuk, actively moving towards the Saga area. Another batch of 60 to 70 citizens is also making progress toward Saga along the same movement corridor. Diplomatic channels are being utilized to safeguard these travelers throughout their transit.
Round-the-Clock Monitoring and Inter-Agency Rescue Plan
To facilitate the safe repatriation of all stranded citizens, the Ministry of External Affairs has activated a 24/7 multi-agency coordination framework. The control center at the Ministry headquarters in New Delhi is operating round the clock in direct communication with the Nepal government, district administrative authorities, relevant Indian state governments, and involved tour agencies.
The top priority for the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu is to trace the exact locations of all 290 missing nationals without delay. Field rescue teams and helicopter services are assessing ground conditions to clear access routes to the isolated zones. Officials emphasized that as weather conditions stabilize and debris is cleared from mountain roads, all stranded Indian citizens will be evacuated safely back to India on a priority basis.
