First responder’: India leads global relief efforts after deadly Nepal flash floods

India has swiftly stepped up humanitarian assistance to Nepal after a deadly flash flood struck the ecologically fragile Himalayan nation, with an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft carrying 10 tonnes of relief material landing in Kathmandu within hours of the disaster.

The aircraft took off from India at around 8:35pm on Wednesday, less than 12 hours after the disaster hit the Nepal-Tibet border region. The rapid deployment underscored India’s role as a “first responder” in the region, as New Delhi moved to physically deliver aid while several other countries and international organisations were still mobilising assistance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday evening, offered condolences and assured him that India was ready to provide all possible humanitarian assistance. He also said Indian teams were coordinating closely with Nepal on rescue and relief operations.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar later announced on X that India had dispatched 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance, saying, “India stands with Nepal and its people.”

India sent a second consignment on Thursday containing medicines and food packets, taking the total relief delivered by air to 47.5 tonnes. By Friday afternoon, India had dispatched 62 tonnes of relief material to Nepal.

The response is part of a broader pattern of India’s expanding humanitarian and disaster-relief operations, including assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic and rescue and relief missions in earthquake-hit Turkiye and Syria in 2023, disaster-hit Myanmar in 2024, cyclone-hit Sri Lanka in 2025 and earthquake-hit Venezuela in 2026.

Other countries and international organisations have also pledged assistance. China has coordinated emergency supplies and cash aid, while South Korea, the UK, European Union, US, UN, WHO and World Bank have offered or mobilised support. The US has committed $500,000 and a disaster-response adviser, while the UK has pledged £5 million and emergency responders. The World Bank has indicated that it could provide up to 25 billion Nepalese rupees in emergency assistance.

However, India’s response has stood out for the speed of its physical delivery of relief to Nepal.

The August 26 disaster in the Nepal-Tibet border region is believed to have been triggered by a massive glacial collapse, sending ice, rock, mud and water rushing through mountain river systems. Villages were destroyed and roads, bridges and other infrastructure were swept away. Satellite imagery and geological assessments have provided further insight into the disaster, although scientists are continuing to investigate its precise causes.

As of Friday afternoon, 469 people had died in Nepal and three in Tibet, taking the cross-border death toll to 472. Nearly 1,000 people were reported missing in Nepal, while 558 remained unaccounted for in Tibet.