The Nepal Army did not allow the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) to conduct a foot search in the area where nine Koreans went missing during last month's massive flooding, citing safety concerns in the rugged mountain terrain.
A KDRT official said on the 4th (local time) that after the morning search, the team met with the regional military commander in Batar via video from the Batar base camp in Nuwakot, Bagmati Province, in north-central Nepal, speaking to reporters in Kathmandu through a video link.
In the meeting, KDRT proposed to the Nepal Army that it conduct a foot search in Ramche in the Rasuwa area, about 2 kilometers from the camp where the missing Koreans had been staying. However, the Nepal Army said the foot search was dangerous and conveyed that it could not allow hazardous activity in its operational zone.
It is reported that from the upper dam weir where one of the missing Koreans worked to the powerhouse housing the plant's turbines is a steep, nearly 90-degree mountain slope.
However, during coordination with the Nepal Army on the morning of the day, KDRT proposed searches around the weir area and the powerhouse as well as near the Yellow Bridge, and the Nepal Army accepted.
Accordingly, KDRT, with support from a Nepal Army helicopter, conducted an aerial search around the powerhouse using four drones. But it found no notable developments related to the nine missing Koreans. That morning as well, KDRT used two Nepal Army helicopters to search the area where the Koreans went missing for about three hours.
Rescue operations are also continuing near the power plant where the missing Koreans worked. At the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Plant in Bagmati Province on the day, two Nepalese employees were dramatically rescued nine days after the massive flooding. Rescue work is also expected to continue for the hundreds of people believed to be trapped in the plant's tunnel.
In particular, this plant is located about 6 kilometers downstream along the Trishuli River from the Upper Trishuli (UT)-1 Hydropower Plant, where the nine Koreans worked. With employees who had been isolated for a long period at an adjacent plant being rescued, expectations are rising for an expanded search for the missing Koreans.
A KDRT official said, "We plan to search tomorrow in a similar manner to today," but added, "The search plan could change depending on tomorrow's weather conditions."
The day before, KDRT also attempted an aerial search with support from two Nepal Army helicopters, but one turned back due to bad weather and the other was unable to take off.
Earlier, on the 26th of last month, more than 1,300 people were killed and about 5,600 went missing in Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region, which share a border, due to massive flooding that occurred upstream in the Himalaya mountain region.
Among the missing are nine Korean employees who were building the Upper Trishuli (UT)-1 Hydropower Plant in the Rasuwa area of Bagmati Province. They include six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three employees of Korea South-East Power (KOEN).