Fears of Secondary Floods Amid Severe Weather... Death and Missing Toll Exceeds 3,600

[Anchor]

It has been five days since the devastating floods hit Nepal. With the number of dead and missing exceeding 3,600, rescue operations are facing major setbacks, repeatedly coming to a halt due to fears of secondary flooding and worsening weather conditions.

Reporter Jang Min-seong has the details.

[Reporter]

The Trishuli region in Nepal, which suffered the worst damage from the floods, is completely buried in gray mud.

Residents who have stepped out for recovery efforts try to salvage usable items or clothes, but there is little left.

[Affected Village Resident: What am I feeling right now? Looking at all of this, it feels like the world has vanished. What is left? It feels as though we are dead.]

The death toll compiled across China and Nepal has risen to 682, with the number of missing approaching 3,000.

Nine South Koreans, including six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three employees of Korea South-East Power who were working on the construction of a hydroelectric power plant, remain out of contact.

Rescue helicopter operations have been suspended at times due to inclement weather. Furthermore, search and recovery efforts are struggling to gain momentum as a massive lake formed by collapsed glaciers and debris blocking river flows raises fears of secondary flood damage.

[Sisir Kanal / Nepali Foreign Minister: The flood risk downstream is continuously being monitored. We remain on high alert for the risk of additional flooding.]

While the death toll continues to rise, hospitals across Nepal are facing severe difficulties due to a shortage of morgue space and delays in identity verification.

The Nepali government, which initially refused foreign assistance, has changed its stance to accept help strictly for DNA testing and forensic investigations.

The four countries approved to dispatch support personnel are South Korea, India, China, and Australia.

Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won has arrived in Nepal to support search and rescue operations at the site where employees went missing.

(Camera Reporter: Seol Chi-hwan, Kang Si-woo | Video Editor: Park Chun-bae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.