RASUWA, NEPAL / RankWire.AI / – The UAE Search and Rescue Team is actively engaged in field missions within Nepal’s Rasuwa district following devastating floods that impacted the area. Their efforts involve supporting Nepali authorities in investigating damaged communities and navigating challenging terrain. The team employs drones, aerial imaging, and three-dimensional mapping technologies to assess the areas affected. These tools enable search teams to obtain detailed visuals of locations where floodwaters have compromised roads, structures, and other infrastructure.
Coordination between UAE personnel and local officials ensures search operations are prioritized in key zones throughout the district. Hamoud Al Afari, who directs UAE relief initiatives, emphasized that their technical equipment is crucial in locating missing persons. The teams are conducting combined ground and aerial searches, particularly where damaged roads hinder access. The primary focus of the mission is to identify flood-impacted sites, create detailed maps of routes, and bolster rescue efforts within the flood zone.
Nepal received its third relief flight from the UAE on Sept. 4, carrying the search and rescue unit along with 20 tonnes of humanitarian aid for flood-affected populations. This shipment brought the total relief delivered by the UAE to 148 tonnes. Dubai Police personnel, equipped for disaster response, joined the deployment. Additionally, the UAE Aid Agency is managing a $10 million aid package that includes food, shelter supplies, generators, and other essential items.
Rasuwa’s rescue operations expand amid ongoing efforts
By the evening of Sept. 6, authorities in Rasuwa had reported a total of 1,356 rescues. This included 1,270 Nepali nationals and 86 foreigners. Helicopters transported 1,414 flood-affected individuals and stranded pilgrims to Nuwakot and Kathmandu. Officials continue updating lists of those still unaccounted for, which include residents, government employees, security personnel, bank staff, and foreign visitors present in the affected zones at the time of the floods.
Search operations have recovered 169 bodies, with six of these victims identified as of Sept. 6. Nepal Police has requested that relatives of missing Nepali and foreign nationals submit DNA samples for identification purposes, preferably from first-degree relatives when possible. Families outside Nepal can provide DNA data electronically for comparison with recovered remains. The authorities are revising missing persons and identification records as new information emerges from ongoing field reports.
Flood relief efforts integrate rescue missions with aid distribution
Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs indicated that the flood from the Bhote Koshi River impacted Rasuwa at approximately 8:40 a.m. on Aug. 26. Floodwaters also caused destruction along riverbank zones in Nuwakot, Dhading, and Gorkha districts. Following the disaster, emergency relief, search, and rescue operations were launched. Damage assessments have documented destruction of roads, bridges, homes, schools, banks, and hydropower facilities. Relief teams are actively distributing supplies while officials evaluate the extent of damage across affected communities.
The UAE’s efforts remain concentrated on search locations, aerial surveys, and comprehensive mapping to support ground teams. Distribution of food packages and essential items is ongoing in communities impacted by floods and landslides. Nepali authorities continue their work on rescue, recovery, and identification across Rasuwa, maintaining updated records of missing individuals. As of Sept. 7, the figures are subject to revision as field teams report new findings from their search sites.