네팔 ‘연락 두절’ 9명 구조 헬기 대기…“2차 홍수 우려로 비행 허가 안 나와”

A group of nine Korean nationals stranded after flash floods in Nepal's northern region have been rescued by a government rapid response team, who are awaiting permission to fly the emergency heli-crafts. The Foreign Ministry officials confirmed that the heli-crafts are currently waiting at Kathmandu Airport, citing the possibility of a second major flood as the reason for the flight authorization not being granted.

The South Korean conglomerate 2대 and Korean Southern Power(1대) have each lent two heli-crafts, totaling six, to assist in the rescue mission. The rapid response team comprises five firefighters and one foreign ministry staff member. Families of the stranded individuals have been pleading with the government and the involved companies to deploy rescue heli-crafts as quickly as possible.

The current location of the rapid response team is 70 kilometers away from the affected areas of Kathmandu and Lahan. The Foreign Ministry officials stated that they are continually negotiating with the Nepalese authorities for flight authorization. However, they noted that the request was denied the previous day and was granted temporarily.

With the flood control under the control of Nepal's authorities, the search and rescue operations are solely conducted by Nepal's rescue teams. The government is also considering the deployment of overseas emergency assistance teams, with the military potentially deploying the Sigurd multi-purpose aircraft if necessary. Another foreign ministry official confirmed that negotiations with Nepal are ongoing regarding the deployment of the emergency assistance teams.