Kathmandu, September 10
Nepali Congress lawmaker Gangalakshmi Awal has said rescue teams deployed in the flood-affected areas of Rasuwa are facing a shortage of essential rescue equipment.
Speaking during the emergency session of the House of Representatives on Thursday, Awal said the teams involved in rescue operations lacked basic equipment.
She told the House that Arun Sainju of Bhaktapur, a member of the RN-A 16 rescue team, had informed her about the shortage.
“He called me from Timure this morning and informed me that the rescue team lacked equipment,” she said. “He said they do not have a meter to measure oxygen levels. He also said they do not have torches and that some of the ropes have snapped.”
According to Awal, Sainju has been in Rasuwa since August 26, working alongside security personnel to rescue people affected by the floods. “I would like to urge the government to immediately provide the rescue teams with the necessary equipment,” she said.
Awal also said she had received information from the District Administration Office that 25 people from Bhaktapur remained missing following the Bhotekoshi floods in Rasuwa, while one person had died.
