Korea Disaster Relief Team Arrives in Nepal and Begins Operations... Attempts to Track Missing Persons via Mobile Phone Signals

Rapid Response Team Conducts Joint Search with Nepalese Military,
But Fails to Find Any Trace of the Missing Workers

The Korean Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) arrived in Nepal at approximately 6:27 a.m. local time on September 2, 2026. The team is set to immediately begin search and rescue operations. The whereabouts of nine Korean workers who went missing immediately after the massive flooding on August 26 have remained unknown for a week.

The Korean Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, on the 2nd (local time). Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 2, the KDRT, which arrived in Nepal that day, plans to conduct search and rescue activities in coordination with the government joint rapid response team already on site. The KDRT is composed of 44 members and is equipped with high-resolution drones, sound and video detection devices for trapped victims, thermal imaging cameras, submersible pumps, equipment for swift water rescue, and tools for removing trees and soil. Five rescue dogs dispatched together to the site are also expected to be deployed for the search.

The previous day, nine Fire Agency personnel from the rapid response team conducted joint aerial, drone, and ground searches with the Nepalese military but were unable to find any trace of the missing individuals. They visually searched the building where the Korean workers had been isolated before being rescued and searched on foot after landing a helicopter at the nearby upstream Weir Dam. Drones were deployed to search areas that were inaccessible to the rescue teams. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official stated, "No notable developments have been discovered regarding the whereabouts of the nine missing Koreans."

On the 1st (local time), government joint rapid response team members dispatched to search for nine Koreans who lost contact due to large-scale flooding in Nepal attempted to approach the site. The area around the wire dam in the Rasuwagadhi region of Nepal appeared devastated, covered with earth and sand. 2026.9.1 Photo by ksm7976@yna.co.kr (End) Yonhap News Agency

The rapid response team is gathering information by contacting local survivors in an effort to identify the evacuation routes taken by the missing Koreans. Additionally, discussions are underway with Nepalese authorities to track the last mobile phone signal locations. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, "We are planning to utilize mobile phone information to help trace the locations of those who are out of contact."

As for the body discovered in the hydropower plant tunnel where the missing Koreans had worked, Nepalese authorities are reportedly still working to confirm the identity.

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