Captain Priya Adhikari, Nepal’s first woman helicopter captain, has emerged as one of the key figures in the country’s massive rescue operation after devastating floods and landslides along the Nepal-Tibet border.Adhikari has flown over 100 rescue missions in seven days, helping evacuate survivors from some of the worst-hit areas, including Timure in Nepal’s Rasuwa district. The high-altitude rescue pilot has been operating in extremely difficult terrain, where thick mud, unstable ground and narrow valleys have made helicopter landings particularly dangerous.Speaking to CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Adhikari described the relentless rescue effort and the pressure of operating alongside dozens of other helicopters in a confined area.Priya Adhikari is Nepal’s first female helicopter captain and she’s flown over 100 rescue missions in the wake of the devastating flood. Anderson speaks with her about what she’s witnessed. pic.twitter.com/3YYXHZA60J— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) September 1, 2026“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 a veteran high-altitude helicopter pilot who specialises in search-and-rescue missions in the Himalayas. Her work has included rescuing injured climbers at extreme elevations, with some missions taking her to around 6,200 metres.Her journey into aviation was unconventional. Adhikari studied environmental science and initially worked as a member of cabin crew. A helicopter joyride sparked her interest in flying, eventually prompting her to travel to the Philippines for helicopter training.After completing the required flying hours, she became a full-time helicopter pilot in 2017 and went on to specialise in high-altitude rescue operations.Her rise in what was traditionally a male-dominated field eventually saw her become Nepal’s first woman helicopter captain.100 rescue missions amid Nepal floodsAdhikari’s experience has now been put to an extraordinary test following catastrophic floods and landslides in Nepal’s Himalayan region.Timure, in Rasuwa district near the Nepal-Tibet border, has been among the worst-affected areas. Around 20 helicopters have been involved in rescue operations in the area, with pilots having to communicate constantly to coordinate landings and evacuations.Adhikari said five or six helicopters sometimes have to land at the same location to evacuate survivors.“The pilots must constantly coordinate over the radio, sometimes with five or six helicopters landing at the same spot to evacuate survivors,” she said.The terrain presents another major challenge. Floodwaters and landslides have left thick layers of mud across parts of the affected areas. What may appear to be solid ground from the air can be unstable enough for a helicopter to sink.Adhikari said pilots sometimes cannot safely shut down their helicopters after landing and instead have to keep the aircraft powered while survivors are brought aboard.‘Everything is gone’: What Priya Adhikari saw from the airThe devastation below has been as difficult as the flying conditions.Adhikari recalled seeing bodies scattered across Timure after the flash floods. More than 200 survivors were evacuated from the area during the first two days of the operation, with several helicopters, including Nepal Army Augusta aircraft, taking part in the rescue effort.“Everything is gone. Five hydropower projects are gone, lives are gone,” she said.Despite the destruction, the sight of survivors waiting for rescue has kept her going.“Every time I go and land, I see people around and waving at them,” Adhikari said. “I say, you survived.”She also acknowledged the emotional toll of witnessing both survivors and those who did not make it out. Although the people she rescues are strangers, Adhikari said the scenes remain deeply affecting.The scale of the disaster, she said, has tested even her years of high-altitude rescue experience and was more difficult in some respects than what she witnessed during the 2015 Nepal earthquake.‘We’ve been trained for this’After nearly 100 missions in six days, exhaustion has inevitably set in. Yet Adhikari continues to fly as rescue teams race against time to reach people stranded by the floods and landslides.For Nepal’s first woman helicopter captain, years of training in the Himalayas have prepared her for dangerous missions. But the unprecedented scale of the current disaster has pushed those skills to their limits.Still, her message remains simple: the pilots know what they have to do.“We’ve been trained for this,” Adhikari said.