RismadarVoice Reporters, September 2, 2026
British aid volunteer and Gloucester councillor, Alastair Chambers, has denied reports that he was rescued from flood-hit Nepal, saying authorities mistakenly identified him as a missing British national.
Chambers, who travelled to Nepal to assist communities affected by devastating floods and landslides, said he was mistaken for someone who had been rescued after disembarking from a helicopter in Batar.
Nepal’s Nawakot Police had earlier announced that a 46-year-old British citizen had been rescued from Rasuwa district, near the Nepal-Tibet border, one of the areas severely affected by the disaster.
But Chambers later confirmed that he was the person referred to in the report and explained that he had not been rescued because he was never missing.
He said he arrived in Nepal on August 27 as a volunteer with Volunteers Corps Nepal and had been helping to distribute relief materials, including sleeping bags and bottled water, to people affected by the floods.
“Today, I boarded a helicopter on the other side of the Trishuli and after reaching Batar, I got off the helicopter and police mistakenly thought I had been rescued. It’s a mistake,” Chambers said.
He added that he was due to leave Nepal from Kathmandu and return to London.
The police announcement was subsequently reported by several international media organisations before Chambers clarified what had happened.
Images and videos shared on social media also showed him actively participating in relief operations in the disaster zone.
In one video, Chambers described the situation as extremely distressing, while other footage showed him moving through flood-affected communities and transporting relief supplies to Nuwakot, among the worst-hit areas.
Meanwhile, rescue operations remain ongoing across Nepal following a devastating disaster that has left thousands of people missing.
Rescuers are searching for an estimated 4,500 missing people, including hundreds of foreign nationals, after a glacier collapse triggered a massive surge of ice, rocks and mud through communities along Nepal’s border with China.
At least 33 Britons are believed to be missing in Nepal, while another 15 are reportedly unaccounted for on the Tibet side of the border.
Nepalese rescue teams have been working to clear debris from tunnels where about 100 hydropower workers are believed to be trapped.
However, rescuers have so far recovered bodies from some of the blocked tunnels, raising concerns that hopes of finding survivors are diminishing.
The Nepalese government has also faced criticism over reports that it initially rejected foreign assistance for search-and-rescue operations, with concerns that the decision may have delayed efforts to reach those trapped.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah described the disaster as “unimaginable and heartbreaking” as authorities continued efforts to recover victims and assist survivors.
With morgues overwhelmed by the number of bodies recovered, authorities have begun burying unidentified victims after collecting DNA samples to aid future identification.
At least 17 bodies have also reportedly been recovered from rivers downstream in India.
Police using drones to search for survivors said they discovered 24 bodies inside a single house in Nuwakot district.
Chambers, who represents Quedgeley on Gloucester City Council, has previously faced legal proceedings in Britain.
In 2022, he pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed dog-breeding business after 25 dogs were found at his farm. He was ordered to pay nearly £50,000.
He was also ordered in 2024 to pay more than £30,000 in legal costs to Gloucester City Council.
Chambers is currently due to stand trial over allegations that he harassed a former council employee who later became a nightclub owner. He denies the allegations.
He was granted bail in May and is scheduled to appear before Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court on November 9.
