British Aid Worker Listed as Rescued After Returning to Nepal

A British aid worker returning to Kathmandu after delivering emergency supplies was mistakenly listed by Nepalese authorities as one of the survivors rescued from the devastating Nepal-Tibet floods, according to the Guardian’s report citing the Press Association. Alastair Chambers, 45, had travelled to Nepal to distribute sleeping bags, food and other essentials to communities isolated by collapsed bridges. After spending several days in a village near the Trishuli river in central Nepal, he left by helicopter and arrived in the capital. Police officers met him there and asked for his personal details. Chambers said he provided the information as required, but officials apparently interpreted his arrival as evidence that he had been rescued from the disaster zone. His name subsequently appeared on a list of 119 people released by local authorities. An army spokesperson then said at a press conference that a British national was among those rescued. Chambers told the Press Association that around 15 journalists contacted him asking about his condition, forcing him to explain that he had not been rescued. The 119 people on the list included 118 Nepali nationals—44 women and 74 men—alongside the British national authorities had identified. The report does not state how or whether the listing was later corrected. The administrative mix-up occurred amid a large and still-changing rescue operation. More than 1,050 people had been confirmed dead in Nepal, while Chinese state media reported 66 deaths in Tibet. More than 4,000 people remained missing, including 36 British nationals, according to Foreign Office minister Stewart Wood. Nepal’s prime minister, Balendra Shah, said 11,000 people had been rescued across the affected region, including 330 foreign nationals. Search teams were focusing on about 600 workers believed to be trapped in tunnels at several hydropower stations. Preliminary satellite analysis suggested that the collapse of a Himalayan glacier may have triggered the floods, mud and ice that swept along several rivers, although the cause was described as preliminary rather than definitive. A UK rescue team arrived in Nepal on Saturday as part of Britain’s support for affected nationals and relief efforts. The Red Cross estimated that 93,000 people had been directly affected.