Key facts
- Nine South Korean nationals are missing in Nepal following flash floods.
- The missing individuals were employees of Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power.
- South Korean rescue officials have begun search operations using chartered helicopters.
- Roads and bridges have been destroyed, complicating search efforts.
- Over 600 people have died and approximately 3,000 are unaccounted for due to the floods.
South Korean rescue officials boarded two chartered helicopters on Saturday to search for nine of their nationals missing from catastrophic flash floods in Nepal. The missing individuals, comprising six employees from Doosan Enerbility Co. and three from Korea South-East Power Co., were working at a hydroelectric power plant construction site in the Rasuwa district when the floods struck on Wednesday.
Ten other Doosan workers who had been isolated at a different location have been moved to safety. The government rapid response team faced initial difficulties reaching the flood sites due to restrictions by Nepali authorities on foreign access amid unpredictable weather and risks of further flooding. Separate search teams from the two companies were also preparing to conduct their own searches.
An additional team of nine government officials, including firefighters, departed from Seoul to join the 11-member response team already in Nepal. The government and corporate teams have collectively rented six helicopters to aid in the search, as the floods have destroyed essential infrastructure like roads and bridges. Seoul has offered to deploy a formal Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT), a statutory emergency response unit, pending Nepal's acceptance of the proposal.
Nepal's Foreign Minister indicated that the country requires technical assistance for restoring transportation and communication lines but not for search and rescue operations, as their military and police are leading these efforts. The Nepali military has conducted searches using coordinates provided by the response team but has found no signs of the missing individuals. Search teams are considering expanding their efforts along the Trishuli River, preparing for the possibility that the missing people were swept downstream. The death toll from the floods has surpassed 600, with around 3,000 others still unaccounted for. Concerns are also rising about potential secondary flooding from overflowing barrier lakes formed by debris from a collapsed Himalayan glacier.