The South Korean government is actively conducting helicopter operations to locate nine South Koreans missing due to severe flooding in Nepal.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 30, two helicopters are scheduled to operate that day: one chartered by the government and another from Doosan Enerbility. Operations require approval from the Nepalese military, which is leading the search and rescue efforts.
On the previous day, one government-chartered helicopter took off twice. Reports indicate that only South Korean helicopters received takeoff clearance, aside from those operated by the Nepalese government.
The second government rapid response team, dispatched on August 29, brought drones for local search efforts. However, the use of drones also requires permission from local authorities, and the rapid response team will decide on their deployment based on the situation on the ground.
While the Nepalese government has generally prohibited the operation of foreign-chartered helicopters, the Nepalese military is conducting ground searches for the missing South Koreans.
The helicopter deployed by South Korea the previous day did not land at the site but conducted aerial surveillance and recorded video for further analysis. The government has provided the Nepalese side with coordinates and maps where the missing South Koreans are believed to be located.
Authorities believe that there are no South Koreans trapped inside a tunnel at a hydropower plant, where over 100 people are presumed to be trapped. This is because the tunnel is not a workplace for South Koreans, and the distance from their workplace to the tunnel is not walkable, making it unlikely that the missing individuals sought refuge there during the flood.
Park Jae-kyung, the newly appointed South Korean ambassador to Nepal, is expected to arrive on August 31. The South Korean embassy in Nepal has been operating under a chargé d'affaires since the recent reassignment of the previous ambassador.
Meanwhile, Nepal and China are strengthening cooperation for disaster response and search efforts. Nepal has shifted its stance to accept limited foreign search and rescue assistance, while China has sent tunnel structure experts and agreed to expand the sharing of satellite and hydrological data.
According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, Wang Yi, head of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China and Foreign Minister, spoke with Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali on August 29, agreeing to enhance disaster response cooperation between the two countries.
During the call, Wang stated, "China has shared important information with Nepal, including images of the disaster area and satellite and hydrological data, which includes alerts related to the upstream landslide lake."
Wang emphasized that "China and Nepal are connected by mountains and rivers and share a common destiny. In the face of disaster, the two countries should overcome difficulties together and demonstrate our long-standing friendship through practical actions that transcend the Himalayas."
This conversation took place amid controversy over whether there was sufficient early warning and information sharing between the two countries prior to the disaster.
A Nepalese Ministry of Home Affairs official pointed out the inadequacy of disaster prevention cooperation between China and Nepal and called for a concrete cooperation framework.
On August 28, the Nepalese government effectively retracted its initial position of not accepting foreign search and rescue assistance. Initially, it had stated that it would not accept foreign help, but as the situation worsened, it decided to accept support from foreign experts, including those from China and South Korea, in specific areas.
Minister Gyawali has reportedly requested technical support for rescuing people trapped in the hydropower plant tunnel, as well as assistance in restoring roads and communication networks, conducting DNA tests for deceased individuals, and processing remains.
In response, China dispatched nine tunnel structure experts to Nepal on August 29, following the earlier deployment of five experts, bringing the total to 14.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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