10th day of search for missing people from Nepal floods... Republic of Korea emergency rescue team intensively searches evacuation routes

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Min Seon-hee = On the 4th, the 10th day since nine Koreans went missing due to the massive floods in Nepal, the Korea Overseas Emergency Relief Team (KDRT) began an intensive search focusing on possible evacuation routes for the missing people.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KDRT will pursue an aerial search using two helicopters supported by the Nepal Army as soon as weather conditions allow.

The helicopter will also carry a thermal imaging drone and use it for the search, and the two firefighters remaining in Dunche will also conduct a land search.

On this day, KDRT will also discuss joint search areas and methods with Nepal.

The area that the Korean relief team will focus on that day is the mountainous area behind the main camp at the bottom of the Yellow Bridge and east of the Trishuli River.

These areas are where the missing people may have taken refuge, and the families of the missing people are also said to have hoped for additional searches in these areas.

In particular, the lower part of the Yellow Bridge is an area that has not yet been sufficiently searched, so KDRT plans to focus on this area when the helicopter operates that day.

KDRT relief leader Lee Gyu-ho met with the Nepalese military commander in the Batar region the day before and proposed a priority search for areas of interest to the Korean side.

The Nepalese military provided support with two helicopters, but one returned early due to bad weather and the other failed to take off.

Meanwhile, a body found near the Upper Trishuli-1 hydroelectric power plant camp was confirmed to be not Korean after identification. Identification of one separate body previously discovered inside the power plant tunnel is in progress.

Meanwhile, the government is providing an additional 38,320 thermal blankets worth 130 million won to help victims in flood-affected areas in Nepal. Relief supplies are scheduled to be sent to Nepal on the 5th by commercial airline.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Nepal said they needed blankets, so we decided to send blankets that were in stock,” and added, “We plan to actively consider additional support in the future.”