'Exceptionally generous': Nepal praises PM Modi and India for support after devastating floods

Nepal has praised India's support following the devastating floods that have killed more than 600 people, with Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "exceptionally generous" in the country's time of crisis.

Speaking to PTI Videos on Saturday, Wagle said New Delhi had indicated that it would extend "very generous assistance" for reconstruction as Nepal begins to assess the enormous damage caused by the disaster. India has already sent relief material and a specialised team to assist with rescue operations.

An ice-rock avalanche following a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border



triggered a torrent of water, mud and debris that swept through central Nepal on Wednesday. Towns and villages were devastated, with homes, vehicles, roads and bridges washed away and hydropower projects also damaged.

More than 2,400 people remained missing, while nearly 2,500 people had been evacuated as rescue teams continued operations amid intermittent rainfall in the affected regions.

Since Wednesday, India has dispatched 57.6 tonnes of relief material to flood-hit parts of Nepal. An 11-member Indian team comprising medical personnel and tunnel rescue experts also arrived in the country after Kathmandu requested assistance.