The total death toll from the massive floods that swept through the Himalayan mountainous region along the Nepal-China border has exceeded 1,000 six days after the disaster struck.

The government joint rapid response team conducted searches today using helicopters and on-foot patrols alongside the Nepalese army to find nine missing South Koreans, but yielded no results.

According to Reuters on the 1st local time, the Nepal Disaster Management Authority stated that the death toll from the floods in the Nepal region has risen to 1,003.

Combined with 16 deaths on the Chinese side, the total death toll has reached 1,019.

The number of missing persons has risen to a total of 4,462, including 3,916 in Nepal (590 foreigners) and 546 in China (261 foreigners).

According to Nepalese authorities, at least 11,814 people have been rescued to date.

Rescue workers are using aircraft such as helicopters to access, search, and rescue in areas isolated by roads and bridges destroyed by floods and landslides.

In addition, temporary bridges are being constructed, roads are being repaired, and as power and communications are restored, isolated areas are gradually decreasing, leading to an increasing trend in the official casualty toll.

Rescue authorities are particularly focusing on locating missing employees at various hydroelectric power plants.

According to Reuters, the Disaster Management Authority stated that at least 639 people are missing or isolated across multiple hydroelectric power plants.

Many of them are presumed to be trapped in power plant tunnels.

Although the authorities' estimate of missing power plant workers has decreased by about 290 from the previous 933, details such as the reason for the decrease have not been disclosed.

However, as multiple power plants remain covered in thick mud, making search operations difficult, concerns are growing that the likelihood of finding survivors is gradually fading as the disaster enters its seventh day.

In the case of the Rasuwagadhi hydroelectric plant, where 93 people are presumed missing, rescue teams deployed drones and other equipment deep into the tunnels yesterday, but wrapped up operations without finding any missing or dead persons.

Experts told the Associated Press that the first 72 hours following a disaster are critical for survival because breathable air and drinking water inside tunnels are likely to be scarce.

Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah said on social media late last night that rescue teams have so far rescued 279 workers from the power plant sites.

South Korea's Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) is also departing for the site tonight.

The relief team consists of 44 members, including officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Fire Agency, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Upon arrival, they plan to coordinate with Nepalese authorities and the existing joint government rapid response team to focus search operations in areas where South Koreans are missing.

They plan to conduct search and rescue operations using various advanced equipment, including high-resolution surveillance drones, acoustic and visual detectors for buried victims, and thermal imaging detectors.

This morning, the rapid response team also conducted a joint search with the Nepalese army in affected areas, including the Upper Trishuli (UT)-1 hydroelectric power plant where nine missing South Koreans worked.

The rapid response team conducted an aerial search of the accident area using a Nepalese army helicopter and then landed near the weir dam, the upper dam of the Upper Trishuli-1 power plant, to conduct foot searches alongside the Nepalese army.

However, no specific signs related to the whereabouts of the missing persons were confirmed.

Nine members of the overland search team within the rapid response team also advanced up to about 2 kilometers from the camp and workplace where the missing persons stayed, launching drones and searching the surrounding area.

Among the contractors for the Upper Trishuli-1 power plant project, Korea South-East Power Co. conducted a precision search of the power plant base camp, powerhouse, and downstream areas of the river using a total of six drones, including thermal imaging drones.

Doosan Enerbility also deployed one helicopter that received flight clearance today to conduct aerial search operations around the power plant.