According to the Emirates News Agency, a UAE search and rescue team has begun field operations in Nepal’s flood-devastated districts after arriving on the third relief aircraft. The unit includes specialists from the UAE Joint Operations Command, Dubai Police and the UAE Aid Agency, all equipped to support local responders in locating survivors and delivering assistance. Dr. Hammoud Al Afari, Director of UAE Relief Operations, said the third relief plane is distinguished by the arrival of a specialised search and rescue team from Dubai Police equipped with advanced and highly effective technology and equipment to support search operations in affected areas. Abdullah Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Nepal, added that the mission aims to bolster response operations in affected areas and assist search and rescue operations in coordination with the Nepalese authorities.
Nepal Police figures place the death toll at 1,344 with 4,898 people still missing across eight districts. The disaster began with a glacier collapse and landslide on August 26 along the Nepal-Tibet border that triggered powerful flash floods and mudslides through valleys and towns. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority data shows more than 13,000 people have been rescued to date while emergency teams continue to target hydropower stations where hundreds of workers remain unaccounted for.
The UAE dispatched the team and supplies under directives from President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as part of a $10 million humanitarian aid package handled by the UAE Aid Agency. Three aircraft have now transported a cumulative 148 tonnes of food, shelter materials, essential goods and power generators with the initial two flights carrying 83 and 45 tonnes respectively. The latest delivery coincided with the team’s deployment to accelerate both rescue and relief work on the ground.
Dramatic rescues have emerged amid the ongoing operations including the recovery of two men alive from a hydropower tunnel nine days after the floods struck according to reports from The National. Joint Nepali, Indian and Chinese teams have focused much of their activity on these sites where more than 600 workers were initially feared trapped with 279 already extracted. Medical evacuation experts within the UAE contingent are prepared to provide urgent care to the injured as assessments of remote communities proceed.
UN News reported that the floods constitute Nepal’s deadliest natural disaster since the 2015 earthquake with more than 65,000 people requiring emergency water sanitation and hygiene support. The agency added that over 22,000 children need protection services while 19 schools have been damaged or destroyed some now sheltering displaced families. Preliminary findings also indicate that at least 107 children may be separated from their parents prompting priority on family tracing efforts.
The UAE Aid Agency in coordination with the embassy in Kathmandu is working alongside Nepalese authorities and international organisations to direct assistance toward all affected groups. This includes targeted provisions for men women and children facing difficult conditions in the aftermath. Earlier UAE flights have already enabled distribution of critical supplies in hard-hit zones where infrastructure losses remain extensive.
