RASUWA, NEPAL / RankWire.AI / – The UAE Search and Rescue Team is actively engaged in field operations within Nepal’s flood-affected Rasuwa district. This deployment aims to support Nepalese authorities in their ongoing efforts to locate victims and provide relief in areas devastated by the flood of August 26 along the Bhote Koshi River. The team is conducting on-the-ground search activities and comprehensive field surveys at sites impacted by the floods, employing drones for aerial imaging, mapping, and three-dimensional site analysis. Such technological assistance allows rescue teams to identify potential search zones more efficiently and access locations where floodwaters have compromised routes and infrastructure.
Working in close coordination with local authorities, the UAE team directs search operations across Rasuwa, with Hamoud Al Afari, head of UAE relief efforts, emphasizing that advanced technology is instrumental in locating missing persons. The deployment came after assessments of flood- and landslide-damaged regions, where access obstacles have hindered traditional rescue efforts due to extensively damaged roads and basic infrastructure. Field teams continue to blend ground searches with aerial reconnaissance to examine affected areas thoroughly and optimize rescue activities.
Arriving in Nepal on the third UAE relief flight on Sept. 4, the team was accompanied by 20 tonnes of aid supplies, bringing the total relief delivered by the UAE to Nepal to 148 tonnes, officials reported. The specialized search unit comprises personnel from Dubai Police equipped with technical tools specifically designed for disaster response operations. The UAE Aid Agency is overseeing a $10 million relief package aimed at assisting communities impacted by the floods and landslides, with earlier flights delivering essential items such as food, shelter materials, generators, and other critical supplies.
Search and Rescue Operations Broaden in Flood-Affected Rasuwa
According to Nepal’s District Administration Office in Rasuwa, a total of 1,356 rescues had been carried out by the evening of Sept. 6, including 1,270 Nepali nationals and 86 foreign residents. Authorities also reported that helicopters had evacuated 1,414 flood-affected individuals and stranded pilgrims to Nuwakot and Kathmandu. Ongoing efforts involve documenting individuals reported missing or out of contact following the disaster, with records encompassing local residents, security personnel, government employees, bank staff, and international tourists.
Up to that point, the district’s records indicated 169 recovered bodies, with six identified so far, while work on confirming the identities of the remaining remains continues. Nepal Police has urged relatives of missing Nepali and foreign nationals to submit DNA profiles for comparison with recovered remains, prioritizing samples from immediate family members when feasible. Those residing abroad can electronically submit DNA data for matching, and authorities are maintaining updated logs of missing and unreachable individuals.
Relief Initiatives Continue Alongside Search Operations
Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that the Bhote Koshi flood impacted Rasuwa around 8:40 a.m. on Aug. 26, with floodwaters also affecting riverbank areas in Nuwakot, Dhading, and Gorkha districts. Following the disaster, the government launched rescue, recovery, and emergency relief actions, documenting damages to roads, bridges, residences, schools, banks, and hydroelectric facilities, while distributing aid supplies across multiple locations and continuing assessments of human and physical losses.
The efforts of the UAE team in Rasuwa are part of a larger rescue and aid operation led by Nepalese authorities, focusing on search sites, aerial surveys, and detailed mapping to support ground crews. Alongside these activities, UAE relief workers are providing food parcels, essential supplies, and other aid in the affected regions. Rescue teams persist in their work amid the damage, while local officials update records related to rescue, recovery, and missing persons. As of Sept. 7, these records were still under active revision, reflecting ongoing efforts to account for all affected individuals.