Ten Days Missing: Nepal Company Response Teams Mobilize Helicopters and Rappelling to Expand Search

Mobilizing Helicopters, Rappelling Teams, Search Dogs, and Drones
"We Will Not Give Up Until the End"

Korea South-East Power Company and Doosan Enerbility are making all-out efforts to rescue the nine Korean employees who have been missing for ten days following the devastating floods in Nepal, expanding both their on-site search personnel and the scope of the operation.

According to Yonhap News Agency and the local company response team on September 4, both companies have mobilized all available resources, including helicopters, rappelling teams, search dogs, and drones, to broaden the search radius.

Korea South East Power's ground search team, consisting of professional mountaineers hired locally, is conducting search operations centered around the Lamche area in Rasuwa, Nepal, on the 3rd (local time). Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Korea South-East Power Company has split its teams to focus on the Lamche area near the Upertirishuli (UT)-1 hydropower plant, deploying two ground search teams, two drone teams, and two groups with search dogs in ongoing operations. A total of 36 people, including 25 professional mountaineers and other ground search personnel, have been mobilized to thoroughly search the hydropower plant’s base camp area and surrounding mountains.

A Korea South-East Power Company representative stated, "Since August 30, we have conducted ground searches with a team of ten local personnel. Although we previously could not disclose this for fear of diplomatic friction, recent changes in the position of the Nepalese government have allowed us to release this information and significantly increase our personnel." The company also reported that it has secured six high-performance drones equipped with thermal imaging and infrared cameras, which have been searching the presumed evacuation areas of the missing employees since August 30. Korea South-East Power Company said it is sharing these search updates in real time with the families of the missing who have arrived on-site.

A government joint rapid response team dispatched to find missing Koreans due to large-scale flooding in Nepal is moving on the first day (local time) in Lamche, Rasuwa region of Nepal to search the Upper Trishuli (UT)-1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yonhap News Agency

Doosan Enerbility is similarly broadening its search scope. The company deployed a helicopter the previous day to search the area from the main power plant camp to the downstream river, and plans to dispatch another helicopter for further search efforts as soon as flight and takeoff permits are secured. Initially, the search was concentrated around the plant’s office building and upper weir dam, where the missing staff were believed to have been last present. However, as no meaningful leads were uncovered, the search range has now been expanded further downstream.

Coordination with the Nepalese government has also been strengthened. Cho Young-hyuk, acting president and CEO of Korea South-East Power Company, who arrived in Nepal on August 30, has been working closely with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nepal, the government rapid response team, and the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT). He has met with senior Nepalese government officials, including vice ministers from the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Energy, securing promises of support. Cho said, "Local conditions are extremely challenging, but we will not give up and will focus all our efforts on the search and rescue to ensure the safe return of our employees. We will maintain our cooperation network with the Nepalese government and spare no support until this situation is resolved."

The incident began on August 26, when large-scale flooding occurred in Nepal's Bagmati Province, Rasuwa district, engulfing the UT-1 hydropower plant construction site. As a result of this disaster, nine Korean workers went missing at the site—six employees from Doosan Enerbility and three from Korea South-East Power Company.

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