▲ The Great Flood in Nepal
"I have lived in Nepal for about 10 years, and this is the first time I have seen a flood of this scale."
Cha Seung-won, president of the Korean Association in Nepal, could not hide his shock during a phone interview, referring to the massive flood that occurred in areas of Bagmati Province, north-central Nepal, on the 26th (local time).
"There have often been floods near the border with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the past," he said, "but I have never seen anything of this scale."
A similar flash flood had occurred in August of last year in the Rasuwa district of Bagmati Province, which suffered the heaviest damage earlier today.
At that time, high temperatures in the mountainous region caused a glacial lake in neighboring Tibet to overflow, resulting in 9 deaths.
The Rasuwa district is located about 120 kilometers north of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, and is a border region adjacent to the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the Himalayas.
Due to poor local road conditions, it is known to take more than half a day to drive there from Kathmandu.
"There are a total of about 650 Koreans who have applied for overseas registration," Cha explained, adding, "Most of them can be considered members of the Korean Association."
"There are no registered Koreans in the Rasuwa district," he added, "but South Koreans dispatched for a hydroelectric power plant went missing this time."
According to Nepalese police and the Tourism Board, the total death toll identified so far stands at 22, while 384 travelers—including 291 foreigners and 93 Nepalis—remain missing.
South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that contact has been lost with 8 South Korean employees belonging to Korea South-East Power Co. and Doosan Enerbility who were constructing a hydroelectric power plant in the Rasuwa district.
Another 10 South Koreans belonging to Doosan Enerbility are also stranded locally and awaiting rescue.
Moon, a Korean expatriate living in Kathmandu, said, "The 384 missing persons tallied so far are individuals registered through travel agencies and the like." He added, "There are quite a few individual tourists who go to the affected area independently without using travel agencies, and in such cases, there is no way to verify."
Moon expressed concern that considering the flooded area is a popular spot for Himalayan trekking, there could be additional missing persons who have not yet been identified.
Furthermore, he noted that the local Bhotekoshi River is narrow, with its widest section measuring around 500 meters, and the current of this flood was so fast that it destroyed a local concrete bridge, raising concerns that the missing people may have been swept away by the current.
Expressing regret, Moon said, "At the current speed, this floodwater is expected to cross the border (into India) tonight," adding, "There is a high possibility that the missing persons will not be found within Nepal."
He also conveyed, "We never expected this because we were told the flood was not caused by heavy rain in Nepal, but by a glacial dam or something similar suddenly bursting on the Chinese Tibetan side. Some of the missing people are individuals we know, so everyone is panicking."
The Korean Association in Nepal, together with the South Korean Embassy in Nepal, is working to find out if there are any additional missing South Koreans.
"We are checking with the South Korean Embassy to see if compatriots are safe in each region of Nepal and if there are any individuals we cannot get in touch with," Cha said. "Currently, aside from the 8 missing South Koreans identified through news reports, there is no further information confirmed yet."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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