45 Nepal Army personnel and 12 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel are still missing, rescue and search continues
Kathmandu. According to the Nepal Army, 45 Nepal Army personnel are still missing despite the ongoing search and rescue operations in the areas affected by the Bhotekoshi floods.
Speaking at a press conference on Bhotekoshi flood and search and rescue operations organized by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), Rajaram Basnet of the Nepal Army said that the search and rescue of the people gone missing after the floods has been intensified with priority. According to him, the Nepal Army has been carrying out search and rescue operations in three areas—air, land and tunnel.
“The Nepal Army has worked very closely in coordination and cooperation with all the disaster involved agencies as per the instructions of the government. We are working in three sectors, especially air, land and tunnel search and rescue,” Basnet said.
He said the assistance received from the neighbours and friendly countries in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also been used in search and rescue operations.
“We are grateful for the support we have received from the neighbouring and friendly foreign countries so that the army can carry out joint work in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are committed to making the search and rescue operations in the tunnel area more effective by coordinating and cooperating closely with them,” he said.
Basnet said mud, mud, mud and remnants of big boulders and rocks have emerged as a challenge during the search and rescue operation.
‘The main challenges are mud, mud, and muddy areas. There are the remains of large boulders and rocks that have come along it. It was only after digging about 20 meters down that the entry point to the powerhouse was found,” he said.
According to him, the Trishuli 3-A powerhouse was located within 175 meters. He said that the rescue operation was challenging due to limited geography, difficult conditions for air traffic and air flights, and changing weather. The Nepal Army has mobilized 15 to 22 helicopters daily to carry out search and rescue operations in the affected areas, it said.
“We are carrying 15 to 22 helicopters to a place that is a small valley — to carry out the search and rescue operation in a flawless manner,” Basnet said.
He said that coordination is being made with all the concerned agencies in the search for the disappeared soldier. At the press conference, the Armed Police Force (APF) said that a large number of human resources have been mobilized for search and rescue and relief distribution in the aftermath of floods and disasters. According to the representative of the Armed Police Force, 4,203 APF personnel have been deployed in the disaster-hit areas so far.
Among them, 774 have received special training in Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue, Medical, Drone, Rope Rescue, Swift Water Rescue, Dead Body Management, Disaster Management and High Altitude Rescue.
“Along with these teams, other teams of the Armed Police Force (APF) have been deployed jointly with the Nepal Army and Nepal Police for joint and individual search and rescue and relief distribution,” said Rabin Raj of the Armed Police Force. The Armed Police Force (APF) has established temporary bases at 13 different places of Nuwakot, Rasuwa and Dhading to carry out search, rescue and relief distribution. Similarly, health camps are being set up at seven places to provide health services. Among them, two health camps are in Rasuwa and five in Nuwakot. So far, 2,970 people have benefited from the health camps, according to the Armed Police Force.
So far, 113 flights have been operated in Rasuwa for relief distribution. Relief was distributed in 100 places through these flights and about 14,000 people have been benefited.
Similarly, 86 flights were conducted in Nuwakot and relief was distributed at 50 places. According to the Armed Police Force, about 8,400 people have benefited from this. Of the 13 APF personnel who went missing in the incident, one body has been recovered and 12 are still missing. The Armed Police Force has also mobilized a separate manpower for tunnel rescue. In Nuwakot, 63 people were mobilized, 41 on the 18th, 104 on the 20th and 27 on the 21st. Similarly, 60 people were mobilized in Rasuwa on the 17th, 39 on the 18th and 99 on the 20th. Security bodies including Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been carrying out rescue and relief operations in the affected areas.
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