Nepal Floods: Helicopter Search Underway For 9 Missing South Korean Nationals
Helicopters resume search for nine South Koreans missing after Nepal floods.
A helicopter operated by South Korean company Doosan Enerbility joined the search on Monday for nine South Koreans who remain missing after massive floods and landslides struck Nepal’s Rasuwa district last week. The helicopter received clearance from Nepalese authorities to operate in the area and flew to the site where the group had been working at a hydroelectric power plant construction project. The nine missing people include six Doosan employees and three employees of Korea South-East Power Co.
The helicopter departed at around 11 a.m. local time and flew over the area where the South Koreans were last known to have been working. Search personnel onboard looked for indications of the missing workers and recorded footage that could be examined later, Doosan Enerbility reported. The company has secured two helicopters to support the search, while South Korea has arranged a total of six helicopters for rescue and recovery efforts.
The latest aerial search followed difficulties in obtaining permission for foreign helicopters to operate in the affected region. Earlier on Monday, a joint rapid response team from South Korea began a ground search after it was unable to secure helicopter clearance because of bad weather and restrictions imposed by Nepalese authorities. The team includes officials from South Korea’s foreign ministry, police and fire authorities and had been dispatched to Nepal last week to support the search operation.
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Members of the response team travelled by road towards Ramche, located around 1-2 kilometres from the site where the nine South Koreans went missing, and planned to stay there overnight. Officials have also been interviewing Nepali survivors to establish the movements of the missing workers before communication was lost. The team is also planning to conduct a drone search, subject to approval from local authorities, as part of efforts to cover areas that may be difficult to reach on foot.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has sought Nepal’s assistance in locating the missing workers during a phone conversation with Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal. Cho particularly requested cooperation from the Nepalese military to facilitate searches in areas where the workers are believed to have lost communication. He also thanked Nepal for helping rescue 10 other South Koreans who were initially trapped by the floods and expressed Seoul’s willingness to assist Nepal with recovery efforts.
The two countries have agreed to maintain close communication as search and recovery operations continue. South Korean officials had previously contacted senior Nepal Police and Nepal Army representatives regarding the missing workers. The floods and landslides have caused extensive casualties and displacement in Nepal, with foreign media reports putting the death toll at more than 800 and the number of missing people at around 3,000.
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