Nepali authorities mistakenly identified a British aid worker as a survivor and incorrectly announced his rescue five days after devastating flash floods hit the country. A search and rescue spokesperson stated on Monday afternoon that 118 Nepalese people and one British male had been rescued. The Nepali Army also released a statement on Facebook indicating that 119 people, including a British citizen, had been rescued via air assets on Tuesday.
However, the individual in question, Alastair Chambers, a councilor from Gloucester, had traveled to Nepal after the floods to volunteer his services. Chambers arrived in Nepal on August 27, the day after floodwaters swept through the Rasuwa district following a collapse on the Nepal-Tibet border. The mix-up is believed to have occurred when Chambers returned to the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, on a humanitarian aid flight after assisting in a remote village.
He was distributing food and essentials for the NGO Volunteers Corps Nepal, aiding disaster relief efforts in communities cut off by destroyed bridges. Chambers reported that upon landing at the army barracks, a police officer took his details and presumed he had been rescued. "News spreads – I was contacted by about 15 different journalists in the last few hours, just asking how I was and how I’m feeling after being rescued, and I had to say: 'Well sorry, I haven’t been rescued'," he said.
Chambers described the journey to the affected areas as challenging due to landslides and blocked roads, with a trip that should take 1.5 hours extending to eight or nine hours. He also recounted a flood scare that prompted volunteers to move to higher ground. "We’d been told that the floods were coming again… so we made our way up the mountain. Thankfully, it wasn’t large as the other torrent of water, so we waited until that settled and then made our way down and helped locate bodies and deliver humanitarian aid for the last few days. It’s been quite challenging, but it’s been very rewarding as well," he stated.
The floods, which began on August 26, caused widespread destruction in the Rasuwa district, north of Kathmandu, sweeping away homes, roads, bridges, and buildings. As of Tuesday, disaster officials reported at least 1,050 fatalities in Nepal, with approximately 4,000 people still missing. Chinese officials confirmed 16 deaths in Tibet. Around 1.6 million people have been affected, particularly in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts.
Experts have warned of the risk of further disaster from the collapse of millions of tons of ice in glaciers surrounding the flood-affected valley. A UK rapid development team arrived in Nepal on Saturday to support British nationals. More than 550 foreigners are believed to be missing, including 33 British citizens. Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged £5 million to aid Nepal's response, calling the situation "very distressing and devastating."
Rescue efforts are hampered by landslides and destroyed infrastructure, cutting off remote areas. Search teams, including those with dogs, are working through debris. Drones equipped with speakers have been used to communicate with stranded individuals. Rescuers are also attempting to reach hundreds of workers believed to be trapped in tunnels at damaged hydropower projects, with around 900 workers missing from 12 projects. "We found tunnels were filled with mud like toothpaste in a tube. There was no hollow or empty space inside," described drone pilot Manish Maharjan of his attempts to locate survivors.
Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah remarked that the disaster underscores the increasing risks in the Himalayan region due to climate change, urging international attention to climate-induced disasters. China is sending a second batch of relief supplies, including drones and DNA testing equipment, to assist Nepal in identifying bodies.