Government Dispatches 44-Member Emergency Relief Team to Nepal... Departing Tonight on Cygnus

No Trace Found of Nine Missing Koreans
Despite Helicopter and Drone Searches at the Accident Site

On September 1, the government decided to dispatch a 44-member Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) to the site of the massive flood in Nepal. The team is scheduled to depart directly for Nepal around midnight the same day, using an Air Force multi-purpose aerial refueling tanker, the Cygnus (KC-330).

On the 29th, the government joint rapid response team boarded a helicopter at the domestic airport helicopter landing pad in Kathmandu, Nepal, to conduct a search. Photo by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yonhap News Agency, August 30, 2026.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that this decision was made after a joint public-private Overseas Emergency Relief Council meeting held the same day. Led by Lee Kyooho, Director-General for Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the relief team consists of 44 members: 3 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4 from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and 37 members from the 119 rescue squad, along with 5 rescue dogs. The team will board the Cygnus with equipment and supplies at Seoul Airport late at night, departing for Nepal with an estimated arrival time of around 6 a.m. local time. This marks the 12th overseas deployment of the KDRT to a disaster site. An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated during a press briefing at the Seoul Government Complex that “the initial activity period will be 10 days, and the possibility of a second additional dispatch will need to be discussed with the Nepalese government.”

The Nepalese government had initially declined to accept foreign search and rescue teams, citing safety and airspace congestion. However, as the number of dead and missing surged to around 4,000, the Nepalese authorities formally requested the dispatch of the Korean relief team. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, in his second phone conversation with Nepalese Foreign Minister Sishir Kanal since the event occurred, stated, “Our government is currently reviewing support measures, focusing on the areas that Nepal has identified as priorities.”

Meanwhile, on the previous day, the government joint rapid response team and a representative from Doosan Enerbility operating in Nepal conducted a helicopter search centered around the upper dam near the accident site but were unable to find any trace of the nine missing workers. A ground search unit also traveled from the Batar area, approximately 70 kilometers from the accident location, conducting vehicle-based searches up to the Dunche area, about 2 kilometers away, but to no significant effect. After camping overnight near the site, the team plans to continue the search using drones as they move to nearby regions on the day of reporting.

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