South Korean teams continue search for nine missing nationals after Nepal flash floods

KATHMANDU/SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean response teams in Nepal continued searching Saturday for nine nationals still missing after devastating flash floods, attempting to reach the site using helicopters and drones.

Six employees of Doosan Enerbility Co. and three of Korea South-East Power Co. remain unaccounted for for a fourth day following the massive floods in Nepal's north-central Himalayan border area. They were working at a construction site in the Rasuwa district when the floods struck the region Wednesday.

Ten other Doosan workers who had been isolated at a different location have been moved to safety.

An official from Korea South-East Power said the company plans to resume the helicopter search Saturday as soon as Nepali authorities grant them clearance.

The power generator conducted a brief helicopter search Friday after receiving late clearance from local authorities just before sunset, but it failed to locate the missing people.

"We believe they could be at the base camp, as safety protocols direct evacuees to higher ground. If we get to fly the helicopter, we will thoroughly search that area," the official said.

A government-led response team and Doosan are also waiting for Nepali authorization for the helicopter search. Doosan plans to deploy drones to search potential shelter locations where the missing employees may be waiting for rescue.

The government team and Doosan have been unable to conduct helicopter searches as Nepali authorities cited unpredictable weather and the risks of further flooding, a Seoul official said.

The government and corporate rescue teams have rented six choppers to search for the missing as the floods have destroyed roads and bridges.

Speaking to reporters in Kathmandu late Friday, Lim Sang-woo, head of the government rapid response team, vowed to make all-out efforts to ensure swift search and rescue operations for the missing Koreans.

"We made search attempts for the nine missing individuals with the Nepali military mobilizing their assets, but unfortunately, we need to keep searching," Lim said.

The Nepali military has conducted a search operation in and around the possible locations using the coordinates provided by the response team, but there were no signs of the missing people, according to Seoul officials.

The government and corporate search teams are considering expanding the search along the Trishuli River to cover the downstream area, preparing for the possibility that the missing people were swept away.

Return travel plans for the 10 rescued Koreans have yet to be decided, a foreign ministry official said.

"Having been through extreme circumstances, what they need most right now is rest," the official said. "We also need to see if their health conditions are stable enough for them to travel by air."

The death toll from the catastrophic floods has reached almost 600, with nearly 2,500 others unaccounted for, according to foreign media reports.

Reports said fears of secondary flooding are rising as barrier lakes, created by debris from the collapsed Himalayan glacier that triggered the initial floods, have started to overflow.