SEOUL – South Korea will dispatch an 11-member joint rapid response team to Nepal on Thursday (August 27) to assist search and rescue operations after devastating floods left nine South Korean nationals unaccounted for.
The team comprises four Foreign Ministry officials, five firefighters and two police officers. It will be led by Lim Sang-woo, the ministry’s ambassador for overseas Koreans protection and consular affairs, as reported by The Korea Herald
The team is scheduled to leave Incheon Airport on a commercial flight on Thursday afternoon and travel via Hong Kong to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. It will then support efforts to locate and rescue the missing South Koreans and verify the safety of other South Korean nationals in affected areas.
The nine South Koreans lost contact after massive flooding struck north-central Nepal on August 26.
The Foreign Ministry said they were employees of state-run Korea South-East Power and plant builder Doosan Enerbility working on a hydropower project in Rasuwa district.
Another 10 South Koreans affiliated with Doosan Enerbility who had been stranded in the area have been confirmed safe. They evacuated alongside about 200 other workers and were awaiting rescue, according to the ministry.
The disaster struck the mountainous region near Nepal’s border with Tibet, sweeping away buildings and damaging roads and other infrastructure.
BBC reported on August 27 that more than 800 people remain missing in Nepal, while at least 177 bodies have been recovered, as rain and difficult terrain continue to hamper rescue operations.
The casualty and missing-person figures remain fluid as authorities receive updates from remote areas affected by the disaster.
