Indian teams step up Chilime tunnel clearance; process 400+ DNA samples: MEA
Kathmandu, September 6
Amid rescue operations following the devastating floods in Nepal, the Indian technical team has made encouraging progress in efforts to clear the Chilime tunnel, while the Indian forensic team has processed more than 400 DNA samples, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
According to the MEA, the Indian technical team continued its manual efforts to clear the tunnel at Chilime and made progress on a makeshift path that would allow access by heavy machinery.
The improvised track is now close to one kilometre in length, while the team has also commenced work on creating rope-based access to the tunnel.
Meanwhile, the Indian forensic team has been processing more than 400 DNA samples at two laboratories in Kathmandu and has already generated around 70 DNA profiles, as said by the MEA.
The development came as Foreign media journalists seeking to collect news from flood-affected areas along Nepal's Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers will now be required to obtain a Press Accreditation and Journalist Identity Card from Nepal's Department of Information and Broadcasting (DoIB), according to an official notice issued by the Government of Nepal.
This also came as Nepali authorities have issued an alert along the river basins of the Budhigandaki River following floods in the mountainous region of Gorkha.
The alert was prompted by a flood in the Therang River, which flows through Chumanubri Rural Municipality-4 and 2 in the mountainous region of Gorkha district. According to officials, the flood earlier this morning swept away four houses and a suspension bridge. The destruction of the bridge is expected to cause difficulties for tourists trekking in the Manaslu region.
The death toll in the Rasuwa flood and related incidents in Nepal has risen to 1,342, as the 36th meeting of the Executive Committee for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and a joint meeting of lead government agencies reviewed the latest status of search, rescue and relief operations on Sunday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
According to the latest NDRRMA update issued at 6 pm on September 6, around 4,996 people remain missing, including around 1,967 in Rasuwa and 2,340 in Nuwakot. Around 589 foreign nationals are also listed as missing.
— ANI
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