KATHMANDU: After people remained trapped inside a tunnel for three days and Nepal’s rescue agencies struggled to carry out the operation with available manpower and equipment, the government has allowed trained foreign rescuers to assist for the first time.

An Indian tunnel rescue team arrived in Nepal on Friday night as the first foreign specialist team to join the operation.

“Relief materials and an 11-member medical and Indian tunnel rescue team have now reached the site,” Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said.

The team travelled to Nepal aboard an Indian military aircraft carrying the third consignment of relief and rescue supplies. The specialists are expected to assist Nepali rescuers and provide technical expertise in extracting people trapped inside the tunnel.

India has so far sent 57.5 tonnes of relief supplies to Nepal in three consignments—10 tonnes in the first, 37.5 tonnes in the second and another 10 tonnes in the third.

The latest consignment includes portable generator sets, essential supplies for dignified living, food packets and water-purification tablets, according to Jaishankar.

Nepal had initially maintained that foreign rescue assistance was not necessary. On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri said that while offers of assistance were understandable, Nepal’s security agencies were already conducting search and rescue operations and external support was not required at that stage.

However, with people remaining trapped for three days and reports indicating that some of them were still alive, the government has now changed its position and permitted foreign rescue specialists to join the operation.

The arrival of the Indian team marks a significant shift in Nepal’s response to the disaster, bringing specialised international expertise into an increasingly urgent rescue effort.