Nepal Press Council probes YouTube ICU interview with flood survivors

Nepal's Press Council has raised concerns over a YouTube interview conducted with flood survivors while they were being treated in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in Kathmandu. The council said it is studying the broadcast and monitoring the content to check whether it complies with the Journalists' Code of Conduct.

In a statement issued on Monday, the council said it had taken note of a programme broadcast by the YouTube channel "Inside the Bunker", which featured interviews with people rescued after 10 days from the Trishuli III 'A' Hydropower Project site in Rasuwa. The interview, conducted by YouTuber and journalist Suraj Singh Thakuri and his camera team, drew criticism in local media and on social media.

The survivors were undergoing treatment in the ICU of a hospital in Kathmandu's Chhauni area after being rescued. Deepak Khanal, a senior official at Press Council Nepal, told PTI, "We have sent letters to the Medical Council as well as the concerned hospital in this regard." He added, "The Press Council is conducting further study and monitoring of such content to ensure compliance with the Journalists' Code of Conduct. We are also inquiring whether the concerned YouTuber possesses a valid press accreditation card or not."

The wider disaster was caused by flash floods triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26. The floods devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, killing around 1,400 people, while more than 5,000 remain missing. The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges, and damaging hydropower projects.

The Press Council's response centres on the ICU interview broadcast by "Inside the Bunker", as it examines the content, contacts the Medical Council and the hospital concerned, and checks whether the YouTuber had valid press accreditation.