Key facts
- A 44-person South Korean disaster relief team has been dispatched to Nepal.
- The team will conduct search and rescue operations for flood victims.
- Nine South Koreans remain unaccounted for following the floods.
- The deployment is in response to a request from the Nepali government.
- The team is expected to stay for about 10 days, with potential for extension.
A South Korean disaster relief team has been dispatched to Nepal to aid in recovery efforts following devastating floods and mudslides. The team, comprising 44 personnel from various government agencies, departed late Tuesday and is expected to arrive early Wednesday. They will focus on search and rescue operations, particularly for nine South Koreans who remain unaccounted for after working at a hydroelectric power plant construction site in Rasuwa district.
The Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) is equipped with 700 pieces of equipment and five search-and-rescue dogs, and their deployment is initially set for about 10 days, with the possibility of extension based on the situation and consultation with the Nepali government. This deployment marks the KDRT's 12th overseas mission.
The massive floods and mudslides, which struck Nepal's north-central Himalayan region last Wednesday, have resulted in over 800 deaths and approximately 3,000 missing persons, according to foreign media reports. The Nepali government requested South Korea's assistance in the affected areas of Rasuwa district.
A separate rapid response team from South Korea had already been on the ground, conducting ground and aerial searches for the missing nationals. These individuals were employees of Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power Co. Rescue workers recently recovered one body from a tunnel at the hydropower plant construction site, but its identity and nationality are yet to be confirmed. Despite intensified search efforts, no significant clues regarding the whereabouts of the nine missing South Koreans have been found.