Japan to Send Expert Team to Nepal to Help Identify Flood Victims

TOKYO: Japan will send a team of experts to Nepal to assist local authorities in identifying bodies recovered following the massive floods and landslides near the country’s border with China, Kyodo News reported, citing Japan’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

The seven-member team will arrive in Nepal on Friday.

More than 1,200 people have died and approximately 5,500 others remain missing following the disaster on 26 August, with five Japanese nationals among those still unaccounted for, according to the ministry.

“Nepal is an old friend of Japan, and our government will not hesitate to provide every form of assistance,” Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters in Ulaanbaatar.

The team consists of officials from the Foreign Ministry, the National Police Agency, the Metropolitan Police Department and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), according to the ministry.

Motegi also said a separate team from JICA was already in Nepal on Wednesday to assess medical needs.

BERNAMA – KYODO