Key facts
- Nine South Koreans are missing following floods and landslides in Nepal.
- The missing individuals were employed at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower plant construction site.
- South Korea's Disaster Relief Team is utilizing helicopters, drones, and rescue dogs in the search.
- Search operations are challenged by adverse weather conditions and rugged terrain.
- Over 1,200 people have been killed and nearly 6,000 are missing in Nepal.
A multipronged search is underway in Nepal for nine South Korean nationals and others missing after devastating floods and landslides that occurred on August 26. The missing individuals were working at the Upper Trishuli-1 (UT-1) hydropower plant construction site in Nepal's Rasuwa District, near the Nepal-Tibet border.
The Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT), equipped with advanced technology including drones and rescue dogs, has been conducting ground and aerial searches. However, efforts have been significantly hampered by bad weather and the rugged terrain. One of two mobilized helicopters returned early due to worsening weather, while the other could not take off.
KDRT is considering prioritizing areas such as the Yellow Bridge and a mountainous region behind the workers' main camp, identified by the South Korean companies as potential locations where the missing workers might have reached. Tunnel searches are also being considered. The KDRT is coordinating its plans with Nepalese authorities.
So far, a body identified as a non-Korean national has been found near the UT-1 plant, and another body discovered inside a tunnel at the construction site remains unidentified. The overall death toll in Nepal has surpassed 1,200, with nearly 6,000 people still missing, according to foreign media reports.