KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Press Council has expressed concern over an interview conducted by a YouTuber with flood survivors receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in Kathmandu’s Chhauni neighbourhood.
In a press statement issued on Monday, the press council said it had taken note of a broadcast by the YouTube channel “Inside the Bunker’, featuring an interview with people rescued after 10 days from the Trishuli III 'A' Hydropower Project site in Rasuwa.
The survivors were undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a hospital after being rescued.
YouTuber and journalist Suraj Singh Thakuri and his camera team conducted the interview, which drew criticism in local media and on social media.
The Press Council is conducting further study and monitoring of the content to assess compliance with the Journalists' Code of Conduct.
"We have sent letters to the Medical Council as well as the concerned hospital in this regard," Deepak Khanal, a senior official at the Press Council Nepal, told PTI.
"The Press Council is conducting further study and monitoring of such content to ensure compliance with the Journalists' Code of Conduct," he said. "We are also inquiring whether the concerned YouTuber possesses a valid press accreditation card or not."
Flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, 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 the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.