‘Don’t need help’: Nepal declines foreign rescue teams as flood death toll nears 500
Nepal has declined international offers for search and rescue assistance following devastating flash floods that killed nearly 500 people and left hundreds missing, stating its own security agencies are capable. This decision was influenced by past coordination difficulties during the 2015 earthquake, with Nepal preferring financial aid and seeking further international support for rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Why it matters
This decision highlights a country's sovereignty and capacity in disaster management, while also raising questions about the balance between national pride and urgent humanitarian needs in large-scale crises.
Nepal has declined offers from several countries to deploy search and rescue teams after devastating flash floods killed at least 469 people and left hundreds missing, saying its own security agencies are capable of handling the operation.The decision comes as rescue teams continue to search through mud and debris following Wednesday’s flash flood along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems near the Nepal-China border.According to The Kathmandu Post, Nepal’s foreign ministry has received multiple official and unofficial requests from countries and international organisations seeking to send their own rescue personnel. Officials, however, said the government had decided that Nepali security agencies should lead the operation.India, China, the US, UK, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were among those that sought to assist with search and rescue, the newspaper reported.
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