The search for people still missing after the Rasuwa floods is continuing, with rescuers from the Nepali Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police combing through mud, collapsed buildings, debris-strewn riverbanks and tunnels.

But they are not relying on human eyes alone.

Trained search dogs are also being used to scour the disaster zone. One of them, Samba, a Labrador brought to Nepal from India and trained to detect the scent of human remains, has helped rescuers locate around 20 bodies.

Samba is part of the Armed Police Force’s K-9 unit, whose trained dogs have been working in the flood-hit areas since August 26. Their job is to identify places where people may be buried beneath soil or rubble and alert the teams carrying out the searches.

When Samba picks up the scent of a person beneath the ground, he barks to signal his handlers. The rescuers then begin digging at the spot.

The dog works with a primary handler and an assistant, both members of the security forces trained to read his behaviour. Samba may slow down, focus intently on a particular area, sit down or scratch at the ground with his paws.

Those movements can help the handlers determine where rescuers should dig.

Samba has so far helped locate around 20 bodies in the Trishuli area and at Timure in Rasuwa. After days of searching through the wreckage, his work has given rescue teams another way to find people buried beneath the debris.

The Armed Police Force has deployed five trained dogs, including Samba, in the flood-hit areas. Nepal Police has deployed six more, while the Nepali Army also has trained dogs used for various search and rescue operations.