Key facts
- British aid worker Alastair Chambers was mistakenly reported as a survivor rescued from Nepal's flash floods.
- Chambers was in Nepal distributing humanitarian aid after the disaster.
- Nepalese officials had announced 119 people, including a British man, had been rescued.
- Chambers clarified the misunderstanding after being contacted by numerous journalists.
- He plans to return to the UK to raise funds for a devastated village before a potential return trip with essentials.
A British aid worker, Alastair Chambers, has spoken out about being mistakenly identified as a survivor of Nepal's flash floods. The mix-up occurred after Nepalese officials announced his rescue, which Chambers stated was an assumption based on his presence at an army barracks after returning from a village near the Trishuli river via a humanitarian aid helicopter.
Chambers, 45, from Gloucester, had travelled to Nepal to distribute essential supplies like sleeping bags, water purification tools, and food to communities cut off by collapsed bridges. He described the journey as dangerous due to landslides and trees blocking roads, with travel times significantly extended from the usual one and a half hours to eight or nine hours. The group also experienced a flood scare, prompting them to move to higher ground before continuing their aid efforts and assisting in locating bodies.
Officials had announced that 119 people, including a British man, had been rescued. Chambers noted that he provided his details to the police as required but later realized they presumed he was among those rescued. He was subsequently contacted by numerous journalists seeking to interview him about his rescue, prompting him to clarify the situation. The floods in Nepal and Tibet have resulted in over 1,000 deaths and left approximately 3,900 people missing. The Foreign Office had previously stated that 36 British nationals were unaccounted for.
Chambers, a former local councillor, intends to return to the UK to fundraise for the devastated village before potentially returning with essential supplies and setting up solar-powered lighting. Meanwhile, Minister for the Indo-Pacific Baroness Winterton is scheduled to visit Nepal to discuss recovery support, meeting with Nepalese and UN officials, as well as embassy staff and the UK's rapid deployment team. In London, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty will meet with members of the British-Nepali community to discuss available support.