South Korea intensifies search for nine missing nationals in Nepal floods, expands humanitarian aid

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- More than a week after devastating floods struck Nepal, South Korea is intensifying efforts to locate nine nationals who remain unaccounted for, while expanding its humanitarian support for the disaster-hit country, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

The 44-member Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) has arrived in Kathmandu and is working to launch search-and-rescue operations in earnest in areas devastated by the floods and landslides that struck on Aug. 26, according to the ministry.

"The government's rapid response team dispatched last week was incorporated into the KDRT as of yesterday, and they now operate as one team," a ministry official said. "KDRT chief Lee Kyoo-ho is scheduled to meet with the military commander in the Batar region to coordinate operations."

The KDRT set up a base camp in Batar in neighboring Nuwakot district on Wednesday, a major stop on the route to flood-hit Rasuwa, he added.

The nine South Koreans went missing following last week's massive floods and landslides while working at the Upper Trishuli-1 (UT-1) hydropower plant construction site in Rasuwa district. Six were employees of Doosan Enerbility Co. and three of Korea South-East Power Co.

Rescue workers conducted ground and aerial searches in Ramche and Dhunche in Rasuwa on Wednesday, using drones, search dogs and various types of advanced equipment to locate the missing, though no meaningful clues have yet been found, officials said.

Dhunche is about 2 kilometers from the weir, the upper dam of the UT-1 hydropower plant. Ramche is also about 2 km from the campsite where at least some of missing persons are presumed to have stayed at the time of the accident.

"We plan to expand the search to areas where the missing people are believed to have been, including the main camp and the weir, as well as mountain slopes that could have served as escape routes," the ministry official said.

The companies have also set up their own response teams and have been working closely with the government team.

The search, however, faces various challenges, including rugged terrain and areas covered in mud that are difficult to access.

South Korea is also consulting with Nepalese authorities on options such as tracking the missing persons' mobile phone locations and gathering information from Nepalese survivors and local officials about areas where the nine may have been.

"The KDRT was dispatched also for broader humanitarian assistance, and its operations will be coordinated with Nepalese authorities," he added.

Separately, South Korea is expanding humanitarian assistance to Nepal. The ministry sent DNA testing equipment at the request of the Nepalese government and about 38,000 blankets as part of its relief assistance.

The Seoul government earlier announced US$1 million in humanitarian assistance to Nepal through international organizations following the disaster.

As of Tuesday, more than 1,000 people had been killed and nearly 4,500 remained missing following the disaster, according to foreign media reports.