India’s eighth IAF aircraft touches down in Nepal with a massive 35‑tonne relief haul

On Wednesday the Indian Air Force rolled out its eighth relief mission to flood‑stricken Nepal, a hefty C‑130J loaded with roughly 35 tonnes of supplies. The aircraft lifted off from New Delhi and touched down in Kathmandu amid a grim backdrop of rising death tolls and thousands of people still unaccounted for.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the cargo includes National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) equipment, specialised rescue gear, forensic kits for DNA work and a fresh stock of medicines and other essentials for the Indian army teams already on the ground. In short, everything that helps keep the search‑and‑rescue engine humming.

The numbers are stark. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority says 1,367 lives have been lost, while about 5,132 people remain missing. The missing are scattered across districts like Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, and the two Nawalparasi zones – a mix of civilians, army and police personnel, and even a few foreign tourists.

Rescue crews are working round‑the‑clock, especially around the Chilime tunnel in Rasuwa where an Indian contingent is jointly operating with the Nepalese army. So far, the NDRRMA reports that 13,646 individuals have been pulled to safety, but the challenge of locating the missing persists.

On the medical front, 329 injured people are currently under care in ten hospitals, with 252 already discharged. The Nepalese army and the Armed Police Force have collectively tended to over 6,800 patients, showcasing the scale of the response.

India’s aid campaign began almost immediately after the flash floods battered the region in late August. The first relief flight, on August 26, dropped off 10 tonnes of emergency items – temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps and medicines. The next day, a bigger plane delivered 37.5 tonnes, adding tents, de‑watering pumps, kitchen sets, generators and food rations.

Subsequent missions followed a brisk pace: a third consignment of 10 tonnes, a fourth on August 30 bringing 11 tonnes of search‑and‑rescue gear and forensic experts, a fifth on September 2 with an 11‑person rescue team and 5.5 tonnes of medicines, and two more C‑130Js on September 4 carrying a combined 21.5 tonnes of kits and medical supplies. All of these were handed over to Nepal’s Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mahabir Pun.

Ambassador Naveen Srivastava reiterated that these shipments form part of India’s “continuous support” for Nepal’s response to the disaster, a sentiment echoed by officials on both sides of the border.

With the eighth flight now in Kathmandu, the focus remains on saving lives, locating the missing and beginning the long, painstaking process of rebuilding. Every tonne of relief, every helicopter sortie and every doctor’s shift brings Nepal a step closer to recovery, even as the shadows of loss linger.