Special Rescue Team Heads to Nepal to Search for Missing Israeli

A specialized team from the Harel 669 search-and-rescue unit is expected to fly to Nepal in the coming hours to join the search for an Israeli man in his 60s who has been missing since deadly floods and mudslides struck the country. The team includes eight Israeli rescuers, who will also work to locate the group of foreign tourists the Israeli was hiking with in the Rasuwa region, near the border crossing between Nepal and China.

According to information received by Harel 669's situation room, the Israeli set out on a route in the area with a group of foreign hikers. After powerful flooding and mudslides hit the region, contact with the members of the group was lost, and their fate has been unknown ever since.

Harel 669 has described the operation as a "complex rescue mission." Alongside ground searches, the team plans to use drones, observation equipment and additional technological capabilities in an effort to locate the Israeli and the other members of the group. 

The unit said that "some of the transportation routes in the area have been blocked, access to parts of the terrain is limited, and the conditions on the ground pose significant operational challenges for search-and-rescue teams." It also noted that unit personnel are in continuous contact with the Israeli's family, Israel's Foreign Ministry and other parties operating on the ground.

The delegation is leaving for Nepal as the scale of the disaster continues to emerge. At least 353 people have been killed in the flooding, and more than 1,300 are still listed as missing. Those missing include hundreds of tourists and foreign nationals from dozens of countries.

According to initial findings and satellite images, the floods began after a massive collapse of ice and rocks in the Himalayan mountain region. Part of a glacier collapsed from a great height into the valley, creating a powerful flow of water, mud and rocks that rapidly swept through populated areas and left widespread destruction behind.

At first, there was a possibility that an earthquake had caused the collapse and the disaster. However, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, the seismic activity measured in the area was likely caused by the collapse itself. The investigation into the exact causes of the incident is still ongoing.