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Nepal filmmaker uses drones to search for the missing in flooded hydropower tunnels
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- Manish Maharjan, a drone pilot and filmmaker, has been aiding Nepal Army rescue teams in locating flood victims using drones equipped with speakers to call out or play music for stranded individuals.
- The major challenge now is the search for approximately 500 workers believed to be trapped inside mud-filled tunnels of 12 hydropower projects buried under debris from the August 26 glacial flood.
- The tunnels are largely inaccessible due to being filled with mud and debris, making drone navigation difficult, especially in tunnels with bends and turns, and no signs of life have been detected in some areas.
- The disaster, caused by a glacial collapse, has killed over 1,000 people and severely damaged critical infrastructure, highlighting the increasing risks in the rapidly warming Himalayas.
- Despite some initial calls for help from trapped workers, rescuers have had little to no contact since, and the search efforts are becoming more challenging as time passes.
