Washington, Sep 23: The United States announced plans to provide an additional $31 million for Nepal’s recovery from devastating floods, including funding for permanent bridges, humanitarian assistance and US-made drones.

The announcement came as about 70 Americans remained unaccounted for following the disaster.

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker announced the proposed assistance during a meeting with Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal in New York, according to the State Department.

Hooker conveyed US sympathies to those affected by the floods, including the families of Americans whose whereabouts remained unknown.

The largest component of the package is $13 million for US-made drones intended to strengthen Nepal’s ability to respond to future disasters and support recovery operations.

The State Department did not provide details about the type or number of drones under consideration. It also did not identify the US manufacturers that could supply them.

Washington also plans to work with Congress to provide $10 million for permanent, custom-built bridges. The bridges will be sourced from an American company, the department said.

The proposed bridges are intended to restore transport links damaged by the flooding and improve regional connectivity in affected areas. Roads and bridges are particularly important in Nepal, where difficult mountain terrain can leave communities isolated after floods and landslides.

Another $8 million will be directed towards water, sanitation and hygiene services, as well as shelter, protection and livelihood assistance.

Part of that allocation will support winterisation programmes for communities facing colder weather without adequate housing or infrastructure.

The State Department said the new announcement would raise total US assistance for Nepal’s flood response and recovery to more than $36 million.

“The United States will continue to work closely with the Government of Nepal to identify and deliver additional assistance where it is most needed,” the department said.

Tuesday’s meeting took place on the sidelines of high-level diplomatic engagements in New York, where world leaders and senior officials had gathered for the United Nations General Assembly.

The flood disaster has also prompted an effort by US authorities to locate American citizens caught in the affected areas. Earlier reports said some Americans had reached safety, but the new State Department statement said approximately 70 remained unaccounted for.

Kolkata, Sep 19: At least one person was killed, and 22 others were injured after lightning struck a group of football players and spectators who had taken shelter under a tree during a rainstorm at a football tournament in West Bengal’s Jhargram district, police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred on Friday evening in Kumarbandh village under the Lalgarh police station area, where a two-day football tournament had been organised for Vishwakarma Puja. According to local residents, play was halted after sudden rain accompanied by lightning. Players and spectators gathered under a tarpaulin erected beneath a tree when a lightning bolt struck the shelter.

Officers of Lalgarh police station reached the spot after receiving the information. The injured were rescued and first taken to the Lalgarh Primary Health Centre, where doctors declared one person dead.

The condition of four others was critical. They were quickly shifted to the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital. Later, on the instructions of the district administration, the remaining 17 injured were also taken to the same hospital. One person is undergoing treatment at the Lalgarh Rural Hospital.

The deceased was identified as Deepen Murmu (19), a Class 11 student and a resident of Kumarbandh village.

According to police, a two-day football tournament for 16 football teams was organised at Kumarbandh on the occasion of Vishwakarma Puja. This was the first day of the football tournament when the tragedy struck.

Recalling the incident, eyewitness Sagen Hansda said a powerful lightning strike plunged the area into darkness. When he regained his senses, he found most of those gathered lying on the ground and helped move them from a waterlogged area of the playground to safer ground.

Manav Singla, Superintendent of Police, Jhargram, said police acted swiftly to rescue the victims and ensure their transfer to hospitals for treatment.

Local MLA Lakshmi Kanta Sau visited the hospital and met the injured. He said the state government had directed officials to ensure proper medical treatment and extend all necessary support to the affected families.

Gandhinagar, Sep 10: The Gujarat government has completed DNA sample collection from relatives of 29 of the 30 people from the state, including Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRGs), who remain missing or uncontactable following the August 26 flash floods in Nepal, particularly along the Nepal-Tibet border and Bhote Koshi River corridor.

The samples are being processed for DNA profiling to help identify bodies and human remains recovered in the disaster. The process for the remaining missing person is also underway.

The Gujarat State Non-Resident Gujaratis’ Foundation (NRGF), under the NRI Division of the General Administration Department, has been coordinating with the families and authorities in India and abroad to facilitate the DNA collection and identification process.

The initiative is being carried out in accordance with guidelines issued by the Central government, under which designated forensic laboratories have been identified for DNA sample collection and profiling of first-degree relatives of missing persons.

DNA profiling at laboratories designated for the purpose is being undertaken free of cost, as directed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Six designated laboratories in Gujarat are facilitating the process, with DNA profiling being undertaken in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Junagadh and Rajkot.

The National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar, is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs on DNA profiling of samples collected in India and their linkage with the identification process in Nepal.

A 10-member NFSU forensic team has also been involved in the identification efforts in Nepal. Nepal Police has separately initiated DNA profiling of recovered bodies and human remains following the incident.

NRGF has been personally contacting relatives of each missing person and guiding them about the designated laboratories, available facilities and the procedure for DNA sample collection and profiling.

It has also been coordinating with NRGs and relatives living abroad to ascertain the action taken by local authorities in their respective countries.

In cases involving relatives in New Zealand, the United States, Canada and African countries, NRGF has obtained information about DNA samples collected by authorities in those countries and the status of the identification process.

In several cases, samples of relatives living abroad have already been collected through the respective local authorities.

The DNA profiling reports are being sent directly by the designated laboratories to Nepalese authorities through the official email addresses and contact numbers notified by the them for the identification exercise.

Nepal Police has also requested first-degree relatives of missing people living abroad to undergo DNA profiling at authorised forensic laboratories in their respective countries.

The Gujarat Government, through the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), district administrations and NRGF, has been coordinating efforts to trace people from the state and Gujaratis living abroad who were reported missing or remain uncontactable after the floods.

A consolidated list of missing and untraceable persons prepared by SEOC and NRGF has also been shared with the Nepal government. So far, 30 people, including NRGs, remain untraceable from the flood-affected areas.

Those reported missing or out of contact include people from Ahmedabad, Anand, Banaskantha, Kheda, Gandhinagar, Surat, Valsad, Rajkot and other parts of Gujarat. Several had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through different travel agencies and routes.

The scale of the disaster has made conventional identification difficult in cases where bodies or human remains have been severely damaged or recovered in parts.

Nepal has therefore begun a large-scale DNA identification exercise, with samples being collected from relatives and compared with DNA obtained from recovered remains.

The DNA-based process is expected to help establish the identities of victims from Gujarat and other parts of India, as well as foreign nationals, and provide families with confirmation about the fate of relatives who remain missing.