Nepal Army Uses 4 Chinese Drones for Flood Relief as Death Toll Reaches 1,369
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Sep 10
Nepal Army Uses 4 Chinese Drones for Flood Relief as Death Toll Reaches 1,369
3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Sep 10
Summary
Four donated DJI FlyCart 100 drones are making 10 to 16 daily missions in northern Nepal, hauling food to stranded survivors and lifting bodies from flood-hit areas.
The airlifts followed an Aug. 26 partial glacier collapse in the Himalayas that sent water, mud and debris through border crossings, valley communities and hydropower sites.
The drones are carrying about 132 pounds per trip; Nepal's disaster agency said they had delivered 1,591 kilograms of food across 31 flights.
Nepal's official death toll rose to 1,369 by Sept. 9, with more than 5,000 people still missing, including 587 foreign nationals.
More than 21,000 police and soldiers are searching for survivors, while the U.N. is seeking $20.5 million to help 43,000 people affected by the disaster.
Can high-tech Chinese cargo drones truly save Nepal's isolated flood victims, or is this just a band-aid for a looming climate catastrophe?
With Himalayan glaciers collapsing without warning, why are critical cross-border data sharing systems between Nepal and Tibet still failing to protect downstream lives?