Campaigns for 7 missing foreigners and Recovery Mission with SAR Dogs Nepal
On 25 April 2015, a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. Over 8,000 people were killed, 17,000 reported injured and 2.8 million displaced.
The popular tourist region of Langtang was hit hard, with landslides wiping out entire villages and trekking routes. Around 300 people were killed here including 120 foreigners.
12 days later, the Government ordered all International Search and Rescue (SAR) teams to leave Nepal.
This left many foreigners unaccounted for, especially in the Langtang region. Many families took to chartering scarce and expensive private helicopters, employing local trekking guides or turning to groups such as SAR Dogs Nepal to continue the search.
SAR dogs Nepal are not for profit and receive no government funding. Thanks to a relationship built up by Blackbook Traveler from previous campaigns; SAR Dogs requested all details be logged through our Missing Pages Program.
Given the time passed and local conditions, this was a recovery, not a rescue effort.
Blackbook Traveler made a difference by:
- bringing families and their knowledge together to allow the search to better target the impacted areas – and maintaining maps, communication and registers via the SAR Dogs website.
- using our fundraising experience through 20 previous campaigns, to help raise US$18,000 for the searchers – and to get it to them fast and direct.
- coordinating embassies and missions in Country to focus recovery funds via SAR Dogs networks.
- reaching over 880,000 people via Social Media Campaigns.
- leveraging awareness to secure a 4WD and helicopter for the recovery effort and ongoing SAR Missions.
Speed is everything in these campaigns where bureaucracy and administration cost lives. Blackbook stayed in support of SAR Dogs until further earthquakes and conditions concluded the search.
