According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, on August 29, Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke by telephone with Nepalese Foreign Minister Sushil.
Wang Yi stated that the sudden glacial collapse in the border area of Nepal has caused severe mudslides, resulting in significant casualties and people going missing in both countries. This is the most serious cross-border disaster that has occurred between the two countries in recent years, and the complexity and difficulty of disaster relief work are unprecedented. The Chinese side attaches great importance to this situation. President Xi Jinping immediately issued important instructions, setting clear requirements for emergency rescue and response efforts. Premier Li Keqiang rushed to the disaster area to guide the work. While urgently carrying out rescue and self-help efforts, the Chinese side promptly extended a helping hand to support Nepal's emergency relief efforts. President Xi Jinping has sent a message of condolences to President Poddar, and Premier Li Keqiang has also expressed his sympathy to Prime Minister Banerjee. A meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China specifically pointed out that urgent assistance should be provided to the affected areas in Nepal, and international cooperation for relief efforts should be carried out. This is an important political decision made by the Chinese side, reflecting its friendship towards Nepal.
Wang Yi stated that China is implementing a comprehensive aid package for Nepal, including emergency foreign exchange assistance and humanitarian aid. The relief supplies provided by China are about to be delivered to Kathmandu. Chinese tunnel rescue experts have been divided into two groups to rush to the disaster area and Kathmandu for support. China has shared important information with Nepal, such as images of the disaster area, satellite and hydrological data, including early warning information on upstream dams. For Nepalese citizens who remain on the Chinese side, appropriate arrangements have been made to help them return to Nepal as soon as possible. China expresses gratitude and hopes that Nepal will continue to assist and relocate Chinese citizens in Nepal. China and Nepal are a community with shared destiny and connected by mountains. In the face of this disaster, the two countries should stand together, work hand in hand, overcome difficulties, and demonstrate the traditional friendship across the Himalayas through practical actions.
Hishier conveyed the condolences of the Nepalese leaders to the Chinese government, the people, and the families of the victims. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the emergency humanitarian assistance provided by China. He stated that both Nepal and China are affected countries, but China overcame difficulties and promptly expressed its condolences and provided assistance to Nepal, fully demonstrating the high level of Nepalese-China relations. The Nepalese side once again expressed its gratitude to China. It will continue to cooperate fully with China to rescue the Chinese people who are trapped and lost contact, and jointly work to rescue the missing foreign citizens. The Nepalese side is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in areas such as post-disaster reconstruction, disaster prevention and mitigation, and addressing climate change, to promote the continuous development of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
According to previous reports by CCTV News, at the request of the Nepalese government, on August 29, the Ministry of Emergency Management urgently dispatched 5 Chinese tunnel experts. They flew from Jilong in Tibet to Nepal via helicopter at 16:58 Beijing time and immediately joined the rescue efforts in the Nepalese disaster area. Additionally, to meet the needs of the rescue work, another 4 Chinese tunnel experts were urgently sent to Nepal to fully support the Nepalese efforts in tunnel rescue operations.
At approximately 10:30 on August 26th, a mudslide disaster occurred in Nepal, resulting in significant casualties and missing persons at the Jilong Port in Shigatse City, Tibet. As of 1:00 on August 29th, 2 people from the Rezo Village have been rescued. The Jilong mudslide disaster has caused 7 deaths and 554 people are still unaccounted for.
According to the latest data released by the Nepal National Disaster Risk Management Bureau, as of 17:30 local time on the 29th, the death toll from flash floods in northern Nepal has risen to 675, with 2426 people still missing.
