Helicopters from the Nepalese Army and private operators have become the only practical link to isolated Himalayan communities after catastrophic floods and landslides cut roads and bridges across Nepal’s north-western corridor. Airbus H125s, AS350B3s, Bell 206s and a heavy-lift Mi-17 have carried evacuees, medical teams and relief supplies into Rasuwa, Nuwakot and the Trishuli Bazaar area, where damaged landing sites and washed-out access routes have left airlift as the main option.
More than 20 Airbus H125s were in use alongside military aircraft as rescue teams worked along the Nepal-Tibet border region and other hard-hit settlements. The fleet has supported search and rescue, supply drops and medevac flights in terrain where helipads were damaged or unusable, and where temporary landing areas were reduced to mud or riverbeds.
The operation is part of a broader emergency response to floods and landslides that have killed well over a thousand people and left thousands missing across the region. Helicopters from both state and private fleets have been central to moving people and goods into areas that remain inaccessible by road, with the scale of deployment and casualty numbers still subject to change as the disaster response continues.