The government will additionally dispatch a joint rapid response team to Nepal to support the search and rescue of nine Koreans who lost contact due to the massive floods.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 29th that it will send an additional joint rapid response team to Nepal, consisting of one Ministry of Foreign Affairs official and eight from the National Fire Agency. They are scheduled to depart Incheon International Airport at 2 p.m. and arrive in Kathmandu, Nepal, around 5 p.m. the same day.
On the 27th, the government urgently sent an 11-member rapid response team to Nepal, led by Head of Team Lim Sang-woo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' government representative in charge of protection of overseas nationals and consular affairs.
When the nine additional members join, the number of on-site government personnel will increase to 20. Together with the existing team, they plan to support the search and rescue efforts to find the missing Koreans.
However, helicopter operations needed to access the accident site have not yet been resolved.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the flood-hit area is difficult to reach by land and requires helicopters, but Nepalese authorities are restricting helicopter flights by foreigners due to the possibility of a second flood.
The government rapid response team, together with Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power Co. (KOEN), secured six helicopters in Kathmandu. However, due to flight restrictions by Nepalese authorities, only one helicopter chartered by Korea South-East Power Co. (KOEN) was deployed for on-site searches the previous day.
The government response team was also reported to have not received flight clearance on this day. However, one helicopter secured by Doosan Enerbility was said to have obtained approval to fly.
Minister Cho Hyun of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with families of the missing who are in Korea on this day and explained the situation on the ground. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among the nine Koreans who lost contact, the families of four are currently in Nepal and the families of the remaining five are staying in Korea.
In the Himalayan mountain region spanning the Nepal-China border, casualties continue to rise due to large-scale flooding. As of the 28th local time, the confirmed death toll in the two countries increased to 584, and the number of missing was assessed to be nearing 2,500.
Among Koreans, nine are currently out of contact. They are employees of Korea South-East Power Co. (KOEN) and Doosan Enerbility who were participating in the construction of a local hydropower plant. Another 10 Koreans who had been isolated were confirmed to have moved to a safe location.