Drone camera-equipped rescue center established in Annapurna area

Kathmandu: A well-equipped rescue center has been established along the trekking trail of Annapurna according to RSS report Friday.

The rescue center is supported by Um Hong Gil Human Foundation, Korean telecom, and Nepal telecom. The project located in the main entrance to the base camp of Machhapuchchhre Mountain and aims to deal with trekking problems, said Sheshkanta Poudel, chief administrative officer of Annapurna rural municipality of Kaski.

The project cost is around Rs 150 million. A drone camera available at the center is used to rescue tourists in case of their missing and being trapped due to various reasons, said Poudel.

A drone camera will be used to locate tourists missing or trapped due to various reasons and rescue teams would be mobilized accordingly, Poudel quoted Sheshkanta Poudel as saying.

The drone camera can fly from the base camps of Machhapuchchhre Mountain (fishtail mountain) and Annapurna Mountain in the vicinity. It can carry medicines weighing up to 10 kilograms at a time. The center would additionally provide security to tourists visiting the area, said Yubraj Kunwar, chair of the rural municipality.

High priority has been accorded to security and safety of tourists visiting the trekking region, he said. Last year, the total 98,000 tourists, both foreign and domestic, toured the area. Of them, 130 faced various types of difficulties in the course of their visit, resulting in the death of seven.