Gov't team begins ground search for 9 missing Koreans in Nepal floods

Seoul, August 31 (Yonhap) - A government joint rapid response team commenced a ground search for nine South Koreans who went missing in Nepal's recent floods, as reported by the foreign ministry. The team, comprising officials from the ministry, police, and fire authorities, was deployed to Nepal last week to aid rescue operations.

Their objective is to reach Ramche, situated approximately 1-2 kilometers from where the missing individuals were last seen. However, the team's efforts were initially hampered by Nepalese authorities' refusal to permit foreign helicopters to operate due to unfavorable weather conditions. Consequently, some team members opted to travel by road to the nearest point to the incident site.

Despite the initial setback, the team is determined to proceed with a ground search after assessing the overall situation at the location. Additionally, they plan to conduct a drone search in the area once local authorities grant approval. Ramche is considered a crucial route leading to the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project, which was under construction by Doosan Enerbility Co. and Korea South-East Power Co. The nine missing individuals, consisting of six Doosan employees and three Korea South-East Power employees, were working at the hydropower plant site in Nepal's Rasuwa district when the catastrophic floods and landslides occurred last Wednesday.

The government is persistently urging Nepali authorities to intensify their search efforts. Earlier this week, the team reached out to the chief of the Nepal Police and representatives of the Nepal Army. Furthermore, the team is conducting interviews with Nepali survivors to ascertain the movements of the missing South Koreans, as confirmed by the ministry.

The floods have claimed over 800 lives and have left approximately 3,000 others missing, according to foreign news outlets.