RASUWA, NEPAL / RankWire.AI / – The UAE Search and Rescue Team is conducting field operations in Nepal’s flood-hit Rasuwa district. The deployment supports Nepalese authorities searching areas damaged by the August 26 Bhote Koshi River flood. Crews are conducting ground searches and field surveys at affected sites. They are using drones for aerial imaging, surveying and three-dimensional mapping. The technology helps crews identify search locations and reach areas where flooding damaged access routes and infrastructure.
The UAE team is working directly with Nepalese authorities to direct search resources across Rasuwa. Hamoud Al Afari, director of UAE relief operations, said available technology is supporting searches for missing people. The field deployment followed assessments of areas damaged by floods and landslides. Search teams have faced access problems in locations where roads and basic infrastructure suffered extensive damage. Crews continue to combine ground operations with aerial surveys to examine affected areas and guide search activity.
The search unit arrived in Nepal on the third UAE relief flight on Sept. 4, alongside 20 tonnes of aid. Officials said that flight raised total UAE relief deliveries to Nepal to 148 tonnes. The specialized search team includes personnel from Dubai Police and carries technical equipment for disaster operations. The UAE Aid Agency is administering a $10 million assistance package for communities affected by the floods and landslides. Earlier flights carried food, shelter materials, generators and other essential supplies.
Search expands across flood-hit Rasuwa
Nepal’s District Administration Office in Rasuwa reported 1,356 rescues through the evening of Sept. 6. The total included 1,270 Nepali citizens and 86 foreign nationals. Authorities also said helicopters had transported 1,414 flood-affected people and stranded pilgrims to Nuwakot and Kathmandu. The district continues to publish records of people reported out of contact after the disaster. Those records cover local residents, security personnel, government workers, bank employees and foreign tourists.
The same district update recorded 169 bodies recovered from affected areas. Authorities had identified six of them and continued identification work on the remaining recovered bodies. Nepal Police has asked relatives of missing Nepali and foreign nationals to provide DNA profiles for comparison with recovered remains. The request prioritizes samples from first-degree relatives where possible. Families living abroad can submit DNA profiles electronically for comparison. Authorities are also maintaining updated records of missing and out-of-contact people.
Relief operations continue alongside search work
Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs said the Bhote Koshi flood struck Rasuwa at about 8:40 a.m. on Aug. 26. Floodwaters also damaged riverbank areas in Nuwakot, Dhading and Gorkha districts. The government began search, rescue and emergency relief operations after the disaster. Local authorities have documented damage to roads, bridges, homes, schools, banks and hydropower facilities. They have also distributed relief supplies at multiple locations while continuing assessments of physical and human losses.
The UAE team’s work in Rasuwa forms part of the broader search and relief response led by Nepalese authorities. Its current tasks center on search sites, aerial surveys and detailed mapping for crews on the ground. UAE relief personnel are also distributing food parcels, essential items and other supplies in affected areas. Search teams continue working in damaged locations while local authorities update rescue, recovery and missing-person records. The latest district records remained under active revision on Sept. 7.