UK aid worker says he was mistaken for survivor in Nepal

A British aid worker has spoken about being mistaken as a survivor of Nepal's flash floods, after it was incorrectly announced he had been rescued.

Alastair Chambers, from Gloucester, said the mix-up happened when he returned to Kathmandu after flying back in a humanitarian aid helicopter from a village near the Trishuli river.

The 45-year-old told the Press Association: "I got dropped off at the army barracks, and when I got dropped off one of the police officers came up to me and asked for my details. Then they presumed that I'd been rescued. It's been a bit of a weird one, really."

On Tuesday Nepal officials had announced 119 people, including a British man, had been rescued through the use of air resources.

Chambers said he gave police his details to abide by the rules but realised later they assumed he had been rescued.

"News spreads - I was contacted by about 15 different journalists in the last few hours, just asking how I was and how I'm feeling after being rescued, and I had to say: 'Well sorry, I haven't been rescued.'"

Chambers flew to Nepal last week after seeing the disaster that hit both Nepal and neighbouring Tibet, killing more than 1,000 people, with 3,900 still missing.

On Tuesday, Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office Lord Wood of Anfield told the House of Lords 36 British people were unaccounted for, up from the previous total of 33.

The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.

Chambers said he worked with volunteers to distribute sleeping bags, water purification tools, food and essentials to communities cut off by collapsed bridges, travelling to the area by helicopter.

"It's quite dangerous, and we've got a lot of landslides, trees across the roads in front of us," he said.

The volunteer worker added the journey usually takes one and a half hours from Kathmandu but the flood damage meant it took eight or nine hours to arrive.

Once arriving, Chambers said the group had a flood scare and made their way up the mountain.

"Thankfully, it wasn't large as the other torrent of water, so we waited until that settled and then made our way down and helped locate bodies and deliver humanitarian aid for the last few days," he said.

"It's been quite challenging, but it's been very rewarding as well."

A former local councillor, he said he now intended to fly back to the UK to raise money for the devastated village before returning with essentials and set up solar powered lighting.

Separately, Minister for the Indo-Pacific Baroness Winterton is set to visit Nepal's capital Kathmandu from Wednesday to Thursday to discuss support for recovery efforts.

During her visit, Baroness Winterton will meet Nepali and UN officials, as well as embassy staff and members of the UK's rapid deployment team supporting families of British nationals.

Back in London, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty will meet members of the British-Nepali community on Wednesday to discuss the support available for those affected.