Nepal is battling one of its worst flood and mudslide disasters, with thousands of people missing and more than 1,000 reportedly dead across Nepal and Tibet. Amid the rescue operations, one name has drawn attention — Priya Adhikari, Nepal’s first woman helicopter captain.
The 40-year-old pilot has been flying almost non-stop into some of the worst-hit areas. She has completed around 100 rescue missions in less than a week.
While speaking to CNN’s Anderson Cooper, an exhausted Adhikari described the scale of the disaster and the intense rescue effort.
“Most of us are so exhausted because of all the flights we’ve been doing. We’ve been trained for this,” she said.
Who Is Priya Adhikari?
Priya Adhikari is Nepal’s first woman helicopter captain. Her journey into aviation was far from conventional. She studied environmental science before working as cabin crew. A helicopter joyride later changed the course of her career and inspired her to become a pilot.
Adhikari travelled to the Philippines for helicopter training. She completed the required flying hours and became a full-time helicopter pilot in 2017.
She later specialised in high-altitude rescue operations. Over the years, she has taken part in search-and-rescue missions across the Himalayas. She has also helped rescue injured climbers from Mount Everest. Adhikari has flown rescue missions at altitudes of around 6,200 metres.
Why Are Priya Adhikari’s Rescue Flights So Dangerous?
Adhikari is now flying over Nepal’s worst flood-hit regions, including Timure village in Rasuwa district. Around 20 helicopters have been involved in rescue operations in the area. At times, five or six helicopters have had to land at the same location to evacuate survivors.
Pilots must stay in constant radio contact to coordinate the flights. Thick mud on the ground has also made landings difficult. In some areas, helicopters cannot safely shut down their engines. This means pilots have to keep the aircraft powered while rescue operations continue. The scenes from the air have also been devastating.
Adhikari said she saw bodies scattered across areas hit by flash floods. More than 200 survivors were evacuated during the first two days of the operation.
“Everything is gone. Five hydropower projects are gone, lives are gone,” she said.
‘You Survived’: What Keeps Her Going?
Despite the exhaustion, Adhikari said seeing survivors gives her a reason to continue.
“Every time I go and land I see people around and waving at them,” she said. “I say, you survived.”
The people she rescues are strangers. But the emotional impact remains strong.
“They are not my relatives,” Adhikari said while describing what she feels after seeing survivors and bodies from the air. She also compared the scale of the flash floods with Nepal’s devastating 2015 earthquake, saying the current destruction was even greater.
How Did Priya Adhikari Break Barriers in Aviation?
Adhikari faced doubts early in her career. Some questioned whether a woman could become a helicopter captain. She eventually proved them wrong.
Her years of high-altitude flying and rescue missions prepared her for some of the most dangerous conditions in aviation. But the scale of Nepal’s latest disaster has tested even that experience. Yet, she continues to fly.
“We’ve been trained for this,” Adhikari said.
Sudeep Singh Rawat is a Copy Editor at NewsX Digital with over five years of experience in digital journalism. He covers national and international news, with a focus on politics, crime, technology, public affairs, and trending topics. Before joining NewsX Digital, he worked with Business Standard, The Sunday Guardian, and other digital media organisations. His reporting focuses on breaking news, enterprise stories, and explainers that inform readers through accurate, balanced, and context-driven journalism.
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