South Korea dispatches additional rapid response team to Nepal for flood disaster support

The South Korean government is reinforcing its disaster response in Nepal by dispatching an additional nine-member joint rapid response team. This contingent, comprising personnel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Fire Agency, will bolster efforts to locate and rescue nine South Korean nationals who remain missing following devastating floods in the region.

The newly formed team is scheduled to depart from Incheon Airport and arrive in Kathmandu, Nepal, on the same day. They will integrate with the initial 11-member team that was deployed on August 27th. The primary objective for both teams is to conduct thorough search and rescue operations for the missing individuals, who were reportedly caught in the severe flooding.

However, the rescue mission faces significant logistical hurdles. The affected areas are largely inaccessible by land, necessitating the use of helicopters. Complicating matters further, Nepalese authorities have imposed restrictions on foreign helicopter operations due to concerns about secondary flooding, limiting the scope and speed of the search efforts.

Despite these challenges, the South Korean government has secured six helicopters in Kathmandu through collaborations with Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power. However, operational permits have been difficult to obtain. As of the report, only one helicopter from Korea South-East Power was able to conduct search activities the previous day, and only one from Doosan Enerbility had received permission for operation on the current day, highlighting the ongoing difficulties in coordinating aerial support.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun met with the families of the missing individuals. According to the ministry, four families are currently in Nepal, while the remaining five are in South Korea, underscoring the personal toll of the disaster on the affected families.