Kathmandu, Sep 4: The United Arab Emirates has stepped up its humanitarian response to devastating flash floods in Nepal, with a specialist search and rescue team arriving in the Himalayan nation on Friday along with 20 tonnes of additional relief supplies.
The Emirati emergency task force has been deployed to support Nepalese authorities in search, rescue and relief operations following floods that have claimed more than 1,200 lives, with thousands of people still reported missing.
The team was flown to Nepal aboard a UAE relief aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance as part of a wider emergency response launched by the Gulf nation.
The deployment follows a devastating natural disaster last Wednesday, when a glacier collapse and landslide triggered severe flash flooding, causing widespread destruction along the border between Nepal and the Chinese region of Tibet.
The UAE’s latest intervention is part of a USD 10 million relief package announced on Thursday under the directives of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed. The assistance is aimed at strengthening emergency operations and providing critical support to communities affected by the disaster.
The latest aircraft carried 20 tonnes of additional humanitarian aid. The UAE had already sent substantial relief material to Nepal in earlier flights, including 83 tonnes of food supplies and shelter materials.
A second aircraft subsequently delivered another 45 tonnes of relief supplies, including basic food items, essential goods and power generators, taking the UAE’s assistance to a significant scale as rescue and relief efforts continue in disaster-hit areas.
The third Emirati aircraft was received by Nepal’s Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Dr Mahabir Pun, Joint Secretary Ram Kaji Khadka of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE Ambassador to Nepal Abdullah Al Shamsi and Dr Ahmed Al Mansouri, Director of the Office of the Vice Chairman of the UAE Aid Agency.
Al Shamsi said the UAE mission would focus on reinforcing emergency response efforts and assisting rescue operations in close coordination with Nepalese authorities.
«“The UAE relief mission aimed to bolster response operations in affected areas and assist search and rescue operations in co-ordination with the Nepalese authorities,” he said.»
The specialist contingent comprises personnel from the UAE Joint Operations Command, the Dubai Police search and rescue team and the UAE Aid Agency.
The mission includes experts trained in disaster relief, medical evacuation and first aid, allowing the team to provide specialised assistance alongside Nepal’s ongoing rescue and humanitarian operations.
The deployment comes as Nepal continues to grapple with the scale of destruction caused by the flash floods. Rescue agencies and local authorities are facing the difficult task of locating missing people, evacuating survivors from affected areas and delivering essential supplies to communities cut off by the disaster.
The UAE said its emergency deployment is intended to strengthen the on-ground humanitarian response and provide specialised capabilities at a time when Nepal is dealing with an extensive rescue and relief operation.
The latest assistance also underlines the UAE’s broader humanitarian response to the disaster, with financial support, relief supplies and specialist personnel being mobilised to assist Nepal in the aftermath of the catastrophic floods.
