Nepal Appeals for Advanced Equipment and Specialized Teams to Intensify Bhotekoshi Rescue

Kathmandu: The Nepalese government has appealed to the international community for advanced equipment and specialized materials after devastating floods in the Bhotekoshi River further complicated search and rescue operations.

According to the latest update issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, the government has sought assistance by listing high-tech equipment needed to accelerate rescue operations and minimize risks in the affected areas.

As Nepal’s technical capacity is insufficient to rescue people trapped inside hydropower project tunnels and search areas inaccessible to humans because of thick mud, the government has sought assistance from foreign missions and friendly countries.

The government has requested high-capacity drones and lidar technology to scan difficult terrain, landslide-affected areas and conditions inside tunnels and to search for missing people.

Similarly, it has requested special clothing, including mud and tunnel rescue suits, used to safely rescue people after entering tunnels filled with thick mud and hydropower project tunnels.

The government has also requested high-capacity pumps to immediately drain water and mud trapped in flooded areas and tunnels. It has additionally sought Bailey bridges, DNA testing kits and laboratory freezers to replace bridges washed away by the floods and resume the road network.

The government has also requested epidemic prevention materials from the international community, including medical and health supplies necessary to control infectious diseases and epidemics that may spread in affected areas following the disaster.

The ministry said tunnel rescue suits and lidar technology have become an urgent necessity as people remain trapped inside tunnels and the safety risks associated with manual rescue have increased due to thick mud. The government believes that the search, rescue and identification of missing people would become much faster and more effective if the requested equipment is obtained.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expert teams from five countries have been mobilized to rescue people trapped inside tunnels. Special tunnel rescue teams from India, China, South Korea, the UAE and Malaysia have been mobilized in coordination with the Nepali Army.

High priority on affected hydropower projects
According to the ministry, additional equipment and technical manpower are being mobilized to continue rescue operations at affected hydropower projects, including Upper Trishuli 1, Upper Trishuli 3A, Upper Trishuli 3B, Chilime, Rasuwagadhi and Langtang.

Rescue equipment, high-capacity drones and load-bearing materials received from neighboring and friendly countries and the international community are being used in these operations.

Forensic teams from India, China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea are working with the Nepal Police to collect and analyze DNA to search for missing people and identify bodies.

The ministry said that, to make the disaster response effective, Prime Minister Balendra Shah and Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal have been continuously communicating by telephone with their counterparts around the world. On Monday, they also spoke with Maldivian Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam.