Kathmandu, Sept 7: Specially trained sniffer dogs deployed by Nepal’s security forces have helped rescue teams locate 26 bodies and body parts buried beneath debris following the devastating August 26 Bhotekoshi floods, officials said.
The canine teams of the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force (APF) have become a crucial component of the ongoing search operation, particularly in unstable and difficult-to-access debris fields where human rescuers face considerable challenges.
“The canines were fully equipped and deployed on the very day the flood came. They have proved to be very effective,” Nepal Police spokesperson Abinarayan Kafle was quoted as saying.
The floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Tibet border, sent a huge surge of water and debris through the Bhotekoshi River, devastating parts of Rasuwa and neighbouring areas. Large quantities of debris remain in several locations, raising concerns that more people reported missing could still be buried.
Belgian Shepherd Rocky and German Shepherd Jumbo were deployed with their handlers in Timure and Ghattikhola in Rasuwa on August 26, the day the disaster struck. The two dogs subsequently helped rescuers locate two bodies and a body part.
The Nepal Police later expanded its canine deployment. Two Labradors, Leo and Kalu, were sent from Kathmandu with their handlers to search locations including Bidur, Archale, Shantibazar, Mailung Hydropower, Dhunge, Devighat, Betrawati, Bhainse and Battar. Police officials said the dogs helped locate human remains at the employee quarters of Mailung Hydropower-3B and Battar Solar House.
Another German Shepherd, Deepsi, was deployed from Chitwan and helped locate two bodies at Damouli Golaghat.
In total, Nepal Police has deployed five sniffer dogs and 10 handlers in the search-and-rescue operation.
The APF has also deployed seven canines and 14 handlers across flood-hit areas including Timure, Devighat, Betrawati, Trishuli Bazaar, Dhading and Chitwan. APF spokesperson Netra Bahadur Karki said the force’s canines had helped locate and recover 19 buried bodies.
The dogs are trained to detect the scent of human remains and alert their handlers, who then guide excavation teams to the locations identified during the search. Their ability to navigate narrow spaces and detect remains beneath rubble has proved particularly useful in areas rendered unstable by floodwaters.
A South Korean rescue team has also arrived in Nepal with five trained canines to assist in the continuing search operation.
However, the dogs cannot work continuously and require regular rest following periods of searching. Their handlers closely monitor their movements and responses while coordinating with excavation teams.
Nepal has a long history of using trained canines in search-and-rescue operations, including after the devastating 2015 earthquake. Nepal Police began using sniffer dogs in 1970 after bringing two trained dogs from Malaysia, while the APF established its canine unit in 2006. The Nepal Army has maintained a dedicated canine establishment since 1999.
The Army’s canine teams have not been deployed in the current flood rescue operation and remain on standby, according to Army spokesperson Rajaram Basnet.
“The Army’s dogs have not been deployed in the current flood rescue operation and remain on standby,” Basnet was quoted as saying.
As rescue teams continue to comb through the flood-ravaged areas, the trained dogs remain an important tool in the search for victims buried beneath layers of mud, rocks and debris.
