Kathmandu. The Armed Police Force (APF), Nepal has deployed an additional 2,983 personnel to intensify the search for people reported missing and rescue residents affected by the devastating floods in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa. With the latest deployment, a total of 4,828 APF personnel are now engaged in disaster response operations across the affected areas.

The floods, which struck Rasuwa before sweeping downstream through the Trishuli River corridor, have caused significant damage to settlements, roads, bridges and other infrastructure while leaving a number of people missing. Rescue teams have been working to locate those stranded or unaccounted for, recover bodies and provide immediate assistance to communities affected by the disaster.

The APF has established special base camps in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Tanahun, Gorkha, Chitwan, East Nawalparasi and West Nawalparasi. Teams comprising trained search-and-rescue personnel, body-management specialists, camp-management teams, first-aid providers and other experts have been mobilised. A 44-member CSSR team has also been deployed to conduct search and rescue operations in collapsed structures.

To strengthen the search operation, the APF has mobilised a 21-member K-9 team with seven trained search dogs, a specialised drone squad equipped with five drones, and a 13-member rope-rescue team. Divers have also been deployed at various locations where necessary. In addition, 355 more APF personnel have been kept on standby for immediate mobilisation.

Information is also being collected from 48 wards along the Bhotekoshi–Trishuli river corridor through 1,200 registered disaster information focal persons. The APF is simultaneously assisting with the management of temporary shelters, maintaining security in affected areas and transporting relief supplies to communities in need.

Health services have also been mobilised since the day the floods struck. A medical camp with specialist doctors has been operating in Nuwakot, while 100-bed emergency facilities have been prepared at the Nepal APF Hospital in Kathmandu and the APF Disaster Management Training Academy’s Trauma Centre in Kurintar to provide emergency treatment to the injured.

The APF has further supplied essential equipment to help restore basic services in affected communities, including eight generators with fuel, five solar panels and 15 gas cylinders. The deployment comes as authorities continue to assess the full extent of the disaster and prioritise the search for missing people, rescue operations and immediate humanitarian assistance along the flood-affected Bhotekoshi and Trishuli corridors.