Massive Flood in Nepal Leaves 160 Dead; 9 Koreans Still Unreachable

[Financial News] At least 160 people have been confirmed dead in a massive flood that struck the Himalayan mountain region in north-central Nepal. In addition, 403 people are missing, including nine South Korean nationals from Korea South-East Power Co., Ltd. and Doosan Enerbility.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 26th, flooding hit the Rasuwa District in Nepal on the day before local time, leaving nine South Korean employees from Korea South-East Power Co., Ltd. and Doosan Enerbility out of contact. They were working on a hydropower plant construction project in the area.
According to foreign media including AP, about 380 travelers, including more than 290 foreigners, were reported missing after the large-scale flood in north-central Nepal that day.
The number of missing Koreans was initially reported as eight, but the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nepal later confirmed that one more Korean employee hired locally by Doosan Enerbility had also lost contact.
The Nepalese government has sent rescue teams made up of the army and police to the affected area and is carrying out search and rescue operations.
Another 10 South Korean employees from Doosan Enerbility were stranded locally but later evacuated along with more than 200 foreign workers, including Nepalese nationals. They were confirmed safe together with a consul dispatched to the site. The Nepalese government deployed helicopters to rescue them.
After learning of the incident, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nepal informed the Nepalese government that South Koreans had lost contact and requested a swift search and rescue effort, while also sending a consul to the scene.
The government has set up the Overseas Nationals Protection Task Force, headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun chaired a task force meeting at 10:30 p.m. at the Government Complex-Seoul and said, "The President instructed us to put the lives and safety of our citizens first and to mobilize every available means to devote all-out efforts to search and rescue."
The government plans to send a joint rapid response team to the site on the 27th, led by Im Sang-woo, the ministry's chief representative for overseas nationals protection and consular affairs, with participation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Fire Agency (NFA), and the National Police Agency, to support the search and rescue of South Koreans.
[email protected] Sung Min-seo Reporter