Helicopters Grounded by Nepal Restrictions...Rapid Response Team Says Search for 9 People Will Continue

[Financial News] Im Sang-woo, head of the joint rapid response team, said on the 28th local time that the team would "focus all efforts to ensure that the search operation for the nine missing Koreans is carried out quickly tomorrow" after massive flooding in Nepal.
Im met with reporters at a hotel in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, that day and said, "The search for the nine people who have lost contact has been carried out with the help of Nepalese military assets, but unfortunately the search operation must continue."
According to the rapid response team, South Korean authorities were unable to deploy helicopters directly that day. The government, Doosan Enerbility, and Korea South-East Power Co., Ltd. had chartered a total of six helicopters, but they were reportedly unable to operate because of restrictions imposed by the Nepalese military. A Foreign Ministry official explained, "We could not launch the helicopters because of unstable weather, the possibility of additional damage, and instructions from local military authorities."
The problem is access. At the flood-hit site, nearby roads have been washed away, making land access impossible. In effect, there is no way to reach the area except by helicopter. The rapid response team said it plans to keep trying to deploy helicopters on the 29th as well.
The Nepalese military searched by helicopter, including the area believed to be where the missing Koreans may be, but found nothing unusual. A rapid response team official said, "We previously handed over charts and maps to Nepalese authorities showing the coordinates where the missing Koreans were believed to have been at the time of the flooding." The nine missing people are six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three employees of Korea South-East Power Co., Ltd. They were working on a hydropower plant construction project at the time of the flood, so their movements can be estimated based on their assigned duties, the official added.
Im met one after another that day with senior officials from the Nepalese military and the Foreign Ministry, as well as key figures connected to South Korea. Nepalese officials reportedly listened to the rapid response team's request for search support and said they would take appropriate measures.
Meanwhile, the travel to Kathmandu and possible return to South Korea of the 10 Korean rescue workers who were moved to a safe area that day have not yet been decided. Their companies are supporting them, and the rapid response team said it does not know their return plans.
A Foreign Ministry official said, "Since these people have come out of an extreme situation, the most important thing is for them to rest and recover," adding, "We also need to see whether they are well enough to board a plane."
[email protected] Kim Dong-chan Reporter