Live Rescue Chances Low for Those Missing After Rasuwa Flood, Home Secretary Says

Home Ministry Secretary Kedarnath Sharma said the possibility of finding people who went missing following the Rasuwa flood alive has become increasingly low. He made the remarks during a meeting of the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee. According to Sharma, search and rescue operations are still being carried out, particularly in tunnels of hydropower projects where people may have been trapped. He said difficult geographical conditions, limited technology, and challenging circumstances have delayed access to some tunnels. Sharma said international search and rescue experts who assessed the affected areas also described the terrain as extremely difficult. He added that discussions are ongoing with the chiefs of security agencies and disaster management experts on continuing search and rescue efforts as long as there remains a possibility of finding survivors. He said the government would gradually move toward relief distribution, rehabilitation and reconstruction after the search and rescue phase. Sharma also said the protection of women and children in flood-affected areas is being coordinated with local governments. Representatives of the National Child Rights Council have been deployed to holding centers to support child protection. According to him, local governments are managing rescued children and those separated from their parents, while local NGOs are also assisting with the management of children at some holding centers. He said no serious additional problems or major deterioration in the condition of children have been reported so far.