Helicopter Search in Nepal Resumes After Two Days... Foreign Ministry: "Search Starts From Upper Dam" (Update)

Helicopter searches for nine South Korean workers missing due to the massive floods in Nepal resumed after two days. Search operations will first focus on the upstream dam area, as requested strongly by the families of the missing individuals since the early stages of the incident.

On the 29th, the joint government rapid response team boarded a helicopter at the domestic airport helicopter landing site in Kathmandu, Nepal, to conduct a search. 2026.8.30 Photo by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yonhap News Agency

On the 31st, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, "At approximately 11:05 a.m. local time in Nepal (2:20 p.m. Korea Standard Time), the helicopter secured by Doosan Enerbility took off," adding, "We plan to begin the search from the upstream dam area."

The first helicopter search for the missing persons was conducted on the 28th, with two more searches carried out on the 29th. However, on the 30th, the helicopter was unable to fly due to the absence of flight clearance from the Nepalese authorities. The Nepalese government, citing safety issues, aviation congestion, and the region’s rugged mountainous terrain where the floods occurred, has imposed very strict restrictions, only allowing their own military and police helicopters to operate in the area. This is the first time a helicopter search is being launched in the upstream dam zone.

Meanwhile, the joint government rapid response team is also conducting ground searches. A ground search team of nine officials from the National Fire Agency set out from Kathmandu earlier in the day and plans to continue the search by vehicle in the Ramche area, located 1 to 2 kilometers from the accident site.

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