[Anchor]

Search operations are fully underway to locate nine South Korean nationals who have lost contact in Nepal. The South Korean government dispatched an additional nine members of a rapid response team today (August 29), though helicopter searches are expected to depend on local weather conditions and flight authorization from Nepalese authorities.

Reporter Lee Seong-hoon has the details.

[Reporter]

The government dispatched an additional nine rapid response team members today to support the search for nine South Korean nationals who lost contact amid massive floods in Nepal.

The additional response team, consisting of one official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and eight from the National Fire Agency, will join 11 previously dispatched personnel in searching for and rescuing the missing individuals.

Local corporate response teams have also commenced search operations.

Yesterday, a helicopter chartered by Korea South-East Power received approval from the Nepalese military authorities to conduct the first search of the affected area, and Doosan Enerbility plans to deploy one helicopter today pending authorization.

[Lim Sang-woo / Head of the Government Joint Rapid Response Team (Yesterday): Searches for the nine individuals who have lost contact were conducted utilizing Nepalese military assets and one private helicopter. Unfortunately, however, search operations must continue.]

Authorities plan to focus intensively on mountainous areas near the accident site, considering the possibility that the missing individuals moved to higher ground in accordance with evacuation protocols.

However, flight authorizations for helicopters from Nepalese authorities and weather conditions remain key variables.

The government and corporate response teams are also considering expanding the search scope from the upper reaches of the Trishuli River to its lower streams, keeping in mind the possibility that the missing persons may have been swept away by the floods.

The nine South Korean nationals with whom contact has not been established to date consist of six employees from Doosan Enerbility and three employees from Korea South-East Power.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun met with the families of the missing individuals in South Korea today to explain the local search situation and other details.

It has been confirmed that among the families of the nine missing persons, four families are currently in Nepal, while five families are in South Korea.

Ten South Korean nationals who had been isolated by the floods have all relocated to safe areas.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a special travel advisory yesterday for four provinces in Nepal: Bagmati, Gandaki, Koshi, and Lumbini.

(Video Editing: Jeon Min-gyu)