9 Koreans missing due to floods in Nepal, government checks search and rescue situation for 9 days

Headquarters-local joint situation review meeting held

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Min Seon-hee = On the 3rd, the 9th day since nine Koreans went missing due to the massive floods in Nepal, the government inspected the status of search and rescue activities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it held a headquarters-local joint situation review meeting via video conference with the Embassy in Nepal, the government joint rapid response team, the Overseas Emergency Relief Team (KDRT), and the National Police Agency, presided over by Second Vice Minister Kim Jin-ah that night.

Vice Minister Kim said, "It has been 9 days since the 9 Koreans lost contact due to the flood damage in Nepal, but it is very unfortunate that we have not yet been able to deliver the news that the people have been waiting for." He asked, "Please do your best to search and rescue the people while actively carrying out humanitarian relief efforts."

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KDRT arrived in Kathmandu the day before and moved to Batar, the base camp, to begin search and rescue activities in earnest.

Vice Minister Kim instructed the attendees to effectively carry out search and rescue activities in cooperation with the Nepalese government while closely communicating with the Embassy in Nepal, the Rapid Response Team, KDRT, related ministries, and corporate field response teams centered on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He also asked that special attention be paid to the safety of search and rescue personnel, considering the rugged terrain of the area, rapidly changing weather conditions, and unstable ground in the accident area.

In addition, he emphasized the need to communicate frequently with families of missing persons, explain the search situation quickly and in detail, and actively listen to their requests to provide support where necessary.

KDRT, the Embassy in Nepal, and the rapid response team said they were quickly sharing the helicopter, drone, and land search status with the family, and that they would do their best to conduct effective search and rescue activities and support the family.