Tuesday, Sep 01, 2026 23:30 [IST]
Last Update: Monday, Aug 31, 2026 17:55 [IST]
GANGTOK,: Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay on Monday morning flagged off a Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) team from Ridge Park, Gangtok carrying essential relief materials and assisting in relief operations in the flash flood-hit regions of neighbouring Nepal.
The SKM relief team consists of medical specialists and rescue volunteers. The team is also carrying three truckloads of essential relief materials, including medicines, for affected families in Nepal. The humanitarian initiative has been named ‘Sikkim for Nepal’ to extend a helping hand and convey Sikkim’s heartfelt solidarity to Nepal and its people.
“This initiative reflects the spirit of compassion, humanity and brotherhood that binds us together. In times of adversity, we must stand united and extend a helping hand to those in need. Our prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones, our thoughts are with those who are suffering, and our heartfelt solidarity remains with the people of Nepal as they begin the difficult journey of recovery and rebuilding,” said the Chief Minister in a social media post.
Speaking to the media, Golay said the 35-member relief team from Sikkim departing for Nepal on Monday was the first group from the State to extend relief materials and assistance to affected people in the neighbouring country.
“We have dispatched the relief team with doctors and volunteers carrying relief materials and medicines to extend support from Sikkim and the people of Sikkim. Our initiative may not be sufficient, but we thought of extending relief to our neighbouring nation and its people on humanitarian grounds.”
He informed that the Sikkim government had contacted the Indian Embassy in Nepal regarding the relief team from Sikkim.
“This is our first relief team, which will also visit ground zero to assess the situation and understand what kind of support is needed. We will send our second team if more support is needed,” he said.
The three heavy trucks fully loaded with food rations, clean drinking water, life-saving medicines, and emergency shelter materials/blankets were dispatched as part of the initial assistance package. The relief convoy will head directly to the worst-affected regions, informed SKM press & publicity wing president Ranjana Pradhan.
“Driven by a dedicated team of medical experts, emergency personnel and volunteers, the mission aims not just to deliver material aid, but to bring comfort, warmth, and a reminder to the affected families that they are not alone in their struggle,” Pradhan added.
As per the latest updates, the death toll from devastating floods in Nepal has crossed the 900 mark, as bodies recovered from riverbanks continue to pile up in several districts.
The number of bodies recovered has risen to 903, with the highest number of corpses,272, recovered in southern Chitwan district, where authorities have struggled to manage them, according to the latest update issued by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority on Monday.
According to the NDRRMA, as many as 4,247 people remain out of contact, including 592 foreigners. As many as 933 people working at various hydropower projects along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors also remain out of contact, as authorities continue efforts to rescue people trapped inside tunnels at various hydropower projects with assistance from Indian and Chinese technical teams.
