U.N., Malawi to explore use of drones to deliver faster aid in crises

[WorldNews]

By Emma Batha LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The U.N. children's agency and Malawi's government are teaming up to test whether drones could make aid delivery faster and more effective during humanitarian disasters, such as floods and droughts which affect millions of people every year. UNICEF said on Thursday that experts would investigate how drones could be used to provide aerial imagery to help governments and aid agencies pinpoint where the most urgent needs are in crises. The trials, likely to begin next April, will be carried out in a "humanitarian drone testing corridor" that will allow the unmanned aircraft systems to be tested over a distance of up to 40 km (25 miles) outside Malawi's capital Lilongwe.

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