Government Dispatches 9 Additional Rapid Response Team Members Today; Helicopter Operations Remain Restricted

The South Korean government is additionally dispatching a joint government rapid response team to Nepal to support search and rescue operations for the nine South Koreans missing following massive floods in the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 29th that the additional joint rapid response team, consisting of one official from the ministry and eight from the National Fire Agency, is scheduled to be dispatched to Nepal.

The additionally dispatched response team is set to depart from Incheon 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 Im Sang-woo, the government's special representative for overseas Koreans' protection and consular affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The nine newly dispatched members plan to join the existing response team in searching for and rescuing the missing persons.

Because the accident site is inaccessible by land and requires helicopters, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that Nepalese authorities are restricting foreign helicopter operations due to concerns over secondary floods and other reasons.

The government response team secured six helicopters in Kathmandu together with Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power, but due to controls by Nepalese authorities, only one helicopter from Korea South-East Power was able to conduct search operations the previous day.

The government has not yet received helicopter operation permits for today either, with only one helicopter belonging to Doosan Enerbility reportedly granted permission.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun met with the families of the missing individuals who remain in South Korea.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among the nine missing persons, the families of four are currently in Nepal, while the families of five are in South Korea.

In the Himalayan mountainous region along the border between Nepal and China, the total death toll identified in both countries from massive floods rose to 584 as of the 28th (local time), with the number of missing persons approaching 2,500.

Currently, nine South Koreans have lost contact, while another ten South Koreans who had been isolated have moved to safe locations.

These South Koreans are affiliated with Korea South-East Power and Doosan Enerbility, which were constructing local hydroelectric power plants.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.