May 24, Kathmandu- The Nakkhu River was raging in its fiercest form. Right in the middle of the raging river, a house, where four people were begging for their lives. They were anxiously waiting for rescue. However, time was not on their side. Before the rescue team could reach the house, the flood swallowed the house and they disappeared. In that terrible moment, the indomitable courage of a brave young man brought three people back from the mouth of death. But one unfortunately disappeared in the flood.

The painful chapter of the incident did not end there. The then Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak explained that the helicopter could not fly due to bad weather and that those trapped in the flood could not be saved. This indifference of the government broke the hearts of many.

Anil Pradhan, founder of a drone startup called ‘FPV Mart’, was sitting with a similar heartbreak. The tragedy of Nakkhu and the government’s incompetence severely pinched his conscience. This deep sense of human loss and the urge to do something awakened a strong determination in him. That is, to build a ‘disaster drone’ that could save lives in such disasters in the future. And, this determination led him on a new journey.

“Four people were waiting for rescue in the flood that hit Nakkhu. However, even a helicopter could not reach in time. Even the most advanced technology could not be used there,” recalls Pradhan. “Since we have been working in the field of drones for a few years, we thought why not build a drone that would help in rescue.”