The government pushed for helicopter operations on the 30th to find nine Koreans who went missing due to massive flooding in Nepal, but it ultimately failed.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, two helicopters, one leased by the Government Joint Rapid Response Team and one leased by Doosan Energy, were scheduled to operate on this day.
If the helicopter took off that day, the government planned to search the 'Weir Dam' area first. Weir Dam is where some of the missing Koreans worked, and the families of the missing are requesting a search.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "When establishing the helicopter operation plan yesterday, we planned to search the area, but due to weather conditions and rugged terrain, we were unable to search."
However, the helicopter operation that day was ultimately canceled. It is reported that Nepalese military authorities did not grant permission for the operation due to concerns about ‘safety and air congestion’.
The previous day, a helicopter leased by the Korean government took off twice, and excluding the helicopter operated by the Nepalese government, only the Korean helicopter was reportedly given permission to take off.
The Korean helicopter could not land on the site during the search the previous day, but instead conducted a search by flying over the area, inspecting it with the naked eye, shooting video, and analyzing it again.
Based on this, it was expected that the search scope could be expanded if the helicopter was operated that day, but the local authorities did not grant permission, so additional searches could not be conducted.
On this day, the government released some of the videos and photos obtained during the search the previous day. The spot where the Koreans presumed to have gone missing in the video appeared to have a torrent of water flowing and the surrounding area was filled with silt and sand.
The government is expected to consider searching using drones in addition to helicopters. The second government joint rapid response team dispatched on the 29th took the drone.
However, as drones also require operational permission from local authorities, officials said that the on-site rapid response team will decide whether to deploy them separately from the search using helicopters.
While search activities by the Korean government and companies are not easy, as the Nepalese authorities in principle prohibit the operation of civilian helicopters, including foreign leased helicopters, the Nepalese military authorities are conducting a search for Koreans on the ground.
The previous day, when a Korean rapid response team helicopter was flying over the site, a Nepalese military helicopter was seen landing at the site. It is said that landing at the site is not easy due to the rugged and steep mountains and the thick trees.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that upon inquiring about this with Nepal, "We received an answer that the helicopter was flown with Koreans who had lost contact in mind," adding, "However, they said no survivors were found."
The government has been requesting a search from Nepal, providing coordinates and maps where missing Koreans are believed to be located.
Officials said that it appears that there will be no Koreans inside the tunnel of the hydroelectric power plant, where Nepalese authorities are focusing their efforts on rescue as it is estimated that about 100 people are trapped.
Since the tunnel in question is not the workplace of Koreans and the tunnel is not within walking distance from their workplace, it is highly unlikely that the missing Koreans took refuge in the tunnel during the flood.
Meanwhile, Park Jae-kyung, the new ambassador to Nepal, who was appointed on the 28th, is scheduled to arrive in the country on the 31st.
The Korean Embassy in Nepal was operating under an acting ambassador system following the recent personnel change of the former ambassador.
