11-Member Team Deploys as Nine South Koreans Remain Missing
South Korea is sending an 11 member rapid response team to Nepal to assist with search and rescue operations following devastating flash floods in the country’s northern Rasuwa District.
The team includes officials from South Korea’s foreign ministry, police and emergency response agencies and is being deployed as authorities continue efforts to locate nine South Korean nationals who remain missing after the disaster.
The missing South Koreans were working on the Upper Trishuli 1 hydropower project and were employees of Korea South-East Power and Doosan Enerbility. Six of the missing workers were associated with Doosan Enerbility, while three were from Korea South-East Power.
Catastrophic Floods Hit Himalayan Region
The disaster struck the Himalayan region near the Nepal-Tibet border, with a powerful flash flood sweeping through communities and damaging roads, bridges, power facilities and other infrastructure.
Authorities and researchers say the disaster was triggered by an ice-and-rock avalanche associated with a glacier collapse, which sent an enormous surge of water, mud and debris downstream.
At least 160 people have been killed, while hundreds more remain missing as rescue operations continue across the affected region. The scale of the disaster has made access extremely difficult, with damaged roads and communications infrastructure hampering rescue efforts.
Focus on Finding the Missing
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered an all out response, calling for close coordination with the Nepalese government and the use of every available diplomatic channel to assist Korean nationals caught in the disaster.
The Korean rescue team will work alongside Nepalese authorities as rescuers search damaged areas for survivors.
The disaster has also severely affected the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project, a major Korea-led development. More than 90% of the project’s upper dam and a similar proportion of its construction base camp were reportedly destroyed, underscoring the enormous scale of the destruction.
For South Korea, the immediate priority is not the damage to the project but the safe recovery of its missing citizens.
As rescue teams continue their search through devastated communities, families and authorities remain hopeful that survivors can still be found despite the difficult conditions.
