UAE Search and Rescue Team Deploys to Nepal as Flood Death Toll Mounts and Aid Efforts Intensify

A UAE humanitarian task force has joined Nepali authorities on an urgent mission to find survivors of devastating flash floods that have impacted the Himalayan country. An Emirati search and rescue team, which arrived in Nepal on Friday, has begun critical work on the ground in a race against time to save lives. The death toll from the severe floods and mudslides affecting Nepal and the Chinese region of Tibet has exceeded 1,300, with more than 5,500 people remaining missing.

The emergency response team comprises members of the UAE Joint Operations Command, the Dubai Police search and rescue team, and the UAE Aid Agency. The mission includes specialists in disaster relief, medical evacuation, and first aid. The Emirati rescue unit inspected flood-affected areas to coordinate relief efforts, assess damage, and identify community needs, while also launching field operations in partnership with Nepali authorities.

Emergency teams continue to work around the clock in search of survivors more than a week after the disaster. Amid the mounting death toll, recent rescues have provided renewed hope, including the recovery of two men pulled alive from a tunnel linked to the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station nine days after the floods. Sanjaya Shah and Kabir Maharjan were rescued and airlifted to an army hospital in Kathmandu, while the body of a third person was recovered.

Concurrently, the UAE is delivering vital supplies to support communities dealing with the aftermath of the floods, which destroyed thousands of homes. UAE relief teams have started distributing food, relief items, and essential goods to heavily impacted areas. This assistance forms part of a $10 million aid package announced under the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed and delivered through the UAE Aid Agency. To date, the UAE has transported 148 tonnes of aid, including food, shelter materials, and power generators, across three planes.