Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who reached Kathmandu on Wednesday unaware of the devastating flash floods in northern Nepal, on Thursday expressed concern over the deaths and large-scale destruction caused by the disaster.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor leaves after attending the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi. (ANI)
"Took off for Kathmandu yesterday, blissfully unaware of the drama that had taken place in the hills and caused such catastrophic damage," Tharoor said in a post on X.
The senior Congress member said he learned the scale of the disaster upon reaching Kathmandu.
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"Learned on arrival of the loss of life (now confirmed at 160 so far) and the fact that some 2000 or more people are estimated to be missing," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.
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"Learned on arrival of the loss of life (now confirmed at 160 so far) and the fact that some 2000 or more people are estimated to be missing," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.
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"I fully support the Indian government's immediate pledge of relief assistance. Nepal needs all the help it can get," Tharoor said.
Expressing concern for the Indian tourists caught up in the disaster, he said, "My heart goes out to the victims and their loved ones, who include large numbers of Indian tourists, including a hundred performing the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra."
"Prayers for the missing; may they be rescued soon," the former Union Minister added.
A sudden and severe flash flood hit Nepal's northern Rasuwa district near the Tibet border, causing massive damage along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers and killing over 170 people. More than 800 people remain missing, authorities said.
Nepal's officials said dozens of bridges had been destroyed and nearly 40 kilometres of roads had been damaged, making search-and-rescue efforts more difficult.
The country's army rescued more than 100 people from flood-hit areas through helicopter operations on Thursday morning, army spokesperson Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet said.
Meanwhile, three people had died, while 558 others remained missing in Tibet, Chinese state media reported.
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Home/India News/Shashi Tharoor was on way to Kathmandu as Nepal floods wreaked havoc: ‘Blissfully unaware of drama’
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