Sixth Day of Search for Missing in Nepal... Doosan Enerbility Dispatches Additional On-Site Personnel

Response Team Expanded from 14 to 16 Members
Search Hampered by Blocked Ground Routes and Helicopter Flight Restrictions
Chairman Park Jungwon and Park Ji-won Assess Situation On Site

As the search for six missing employees of Doosan Enerbility, who lost contact during the Nepal flood disaster, entered its sixth day, Doosan Enerbility is deploying two additional personnel to the site.

On the 30th (local time), citizens are clearing trees by the Narayani River in Chitwan, Nepal, as recovery efforts continue from the massive flood that occurred in the Himalayan mountain area along the Nepal-China border. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to industry sources on August 31, Doosan Enerbility is dispatching two more staff members to Nepal to strengthen on-site response efforts. This brings the total number of response team members from 14 to 16. The company is also considering dispatching additional personnel, depending on developments in the search.

The six Doosan Enerbility employees lost contact after the massive flood that struck the Rasuwa region of northern Nepal on August 26. The affected area covers the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Plant construction site, a project for which Doosan Enerbility is in charge of engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC).

Search operations have been hampered by limited access to the accident site. Flooding has washed away roads and bridges, effectively cutting off land routes, while helicopter flights are also subject to restrictions.

The government’s joint rapid response team used a chartered helicopter on August 29 to conduct two visual searches and aerial filming above the accident site, but did not locate the missing individuals.

Doosan Enerbility also secured a private helicopter in an effort to widen the scope of the search, but has been unable to deploy it due to operational restrictions imposed by local authorities. On the previous day, searches were attempted using two helicopters secured by the government and Doosan respectively, but these missions were aborted after flight permissions were denied. It is understood that Nepalese authorities imposed restrictions citing safety concerns and air traffic congestion.

Given the difficulty of ground access, expanding aerial searches using helicopters and drones has become crucial. Doosan plans to continue consulting with both the government’s rapid response team and Nepalese authorities, and will extend search efforts to the accident site and neighboring areas as soon as flight permissions are granted.

The group’s top management is also on-site in Nepal. Doosan Group Chairman Park Jungwon and Vice Chairman Park Ji-won, who is also CEO and Chairman of Doosan Enerbility, arrived in Nepal on August 29, where they are monitoring the ongoing rescue and search operations alongside Jeong Yeon-in, Vice Chairman and CEO of Doosan Enerbility.

In Korea, Doosan Enerbility has launched an emergency response headquarters of 40 members at its headquarters in Bundang, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, led by Executive Vice President and Head of EHS, Lee Dong-soo.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.