DUBAI: A UAE search and rescue team working in Nepal in the aftermath of last month’s deadly floods located a further 10 survivors on Saturday.
The team, which has been working in the mountainous Rasuwa district and areas along the Trishuli River, has now found 18 people with the help of drones, aerial surveys and 3D mapping, the Emirates News Agency reported.
On Aug. 26 a glacier collapse unleashed a torrent of water, mud and debris through communities along the Nepal-Tibet border, destroying villages and hydropower facilities.
More than 1,300 people are known to have been killed and thousands more are still missing.
Rescue teams have been focusing particularly on hydropower facilities in Nepal, where hundreds of workers were reported missing, some trapped inside extensive tunnel networks.
Rasuwa is among the areas hardest hit by the disaster. The Trishuli River valley was inundated and entire communities were buried.
As well as the search and rescue team, the UAE has sent five aircraft to the region, the latest carrying boats, drones, power equipment and other technical and logistical apparatus.
The supplies will be handed over to Nepalese search and rescue teams to strengthen their ability to reach affected areas and look for survivors, the report said.
Hammoud Al-Afari, director of UAE relief operations, said Emirati teams were continuing to work alongside Nepalese authorities according to “field priorities and information,” while providing local teams with the equipment needed to sustain their operations.
The UAE earlier sent four relief aircraft to Nepal carrying 186 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including food, tents, shelter supplies, generators and other essential equipment.
It initially allocated $10 million in emergency assistance for Nepal and deployed a specialized Dubai Police search and rescue team to assist Nepalese authorities.
