2 trapped workers rescued alive from Nepal tunnel 9 days after floods

Seoul, September 4 - Despite challenging weather and difficult terrain, South Korea persists in a comprehensive search for nine nationals and others still unaccounted for following last week's severe floods in Nepal, according to the foreign ministry. The nine South Koreans, along with local personnel, were stationed at the Upper Trishuli-1 (UT-1) hydropower plant construction site in Nepal's Rasuwa District when a deluge of floods and landslides ravaged the region near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26.

The Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) intends to recommence both helicopter and ground searches early Friday, as per the ministry.

Yesterday, KDRT and corporate response teams executed ground searches near Ramche and employed drones, as well as other high-tech tools for aerial searches; however, they unearthed no substantial evidence, according to a ministry official. KDRT chief Lee Kyoo-ho convened with the commander of the Nepalese military unit overseeing the area to deliberate on the search operation.

Both parties concurred on utilizing helicopters initially to evaluate the situation and establish search priorities; nevertheless, one of the two helicopters dispatched had to return early because of deteriorating weather, and the other proved unable to lift off.

The KDRT is contemplating focusing on areas that South Korean enterprises suspect the missing workers might have reached, such as an area near the Yellow Bridge and a mountainous region behind the workers' primary camp. The Yellow Bridge area has yet to undergo a comprehensive search and will be scrutinized more closely. Tunnel searches are among the options being considered, according to the official.

Certain KDRT members plan to perform a ground search near Dhunche, although search plans may be modified in consultation with Nepalese authorities, he added. Dhunche is approximately 2 kilometers from the weir, the upper dam of the UT-1 hydropower plant. Ramche is also roughly 2 kilometers from the campsite where some of the missing individuals are believed to have resided at the time of the disaster.

A body discovered earlier near the UT-1 plant was identified as a non-Korean national, while another body found within a tunnel at the plant construction site remains unidentified, reported another official.

The KDRT, which arrived in Nepal on Wednesday, is armed with five rescue canines, high-resolution drones, buried-victim detection devices, and thermal imaging equipment. In addition, a government emergency response team that had been dispatched to the scene earlier has joined the KDRT for collaborative operations. The death toll and number of missing individuals continue to climb, with over 1,200 fatalities and nearly 6,000 still listed as missing as of Wednesday, per foreign media reports.