▲ Lim Sang-woo, head of the government-joint rapid response team
The South Korean government is dispatching an additional joint government rapid response team to Nepal to support search and rescue operations for nine South Koreans reported missing following massive floods there.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the additional team, consisting of one official from the ministry and eight from the National Fire Agency, is scheduled to leave for Nepal.
The newly dispatched team is set to depart Incheon International Airport at 2 p.m. today and arrive in Kathmandu, Nepal, around 5 p.m.
Previously, the government dispatched an 11-member rapid response team to Nepal on the 27th, led by Lim Sang-woo, the government representative for overseas Korean protection and consular affairs at the Foreign Ministry.
The nine newly dispatched members will join the existing team to assist in searching for and rescuing the missing individuals.
Because the accident site is inaccessible by land and requires helicopters, Nepalese authorities have restricted foreign helicopter operations due to concerns over secondary floods, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The government response team secured six helicopters in Kathmandu in cooperation with Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power, but due to controls by Nepalese authorities, only one helicopter belonging to Korea South-East Power was able to conduct search operations yesterday.
The government has not yet received flight permits for today, with only one helicopter from Doosan Enerbility reportedly granted permission so far.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with the families of the missing individuals currently remaining in South Korea.
According to the Foreign Ministry, among the nine missing persons, the families of four are currently in Nepal, while the families of the remaining five are in South Korea.
Following massive floods in the Himalayan mountainous region along the border between Nepal and China, the total death toll identified in both countries rose to 584 as of the 28th (local time), with the number of missing persons nearing 2,500.
Currently, nine South Koreans remain out of contact, while another ten South Koreans who had been isolated have moved to safe locations.
These South Koreans are employees of Korea South-East Power and Doosan Enerbility, which were constructing local hydroelectric power plants.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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