"The Golden Hour Has Passed" ... Families Demand Disclosure of Nepal Helicopter Search Information

[Financial News] Helicopters dispatched by South Korea and Nepal from the public, private, and military sectors have repeatedly launched search operations to rescue nine South Korean workers missing in Nepal's glacial lake outburst flood, but no survivors have been found. More than five days have passed since the flood hit Nepal on the 26th, and the so-called "golden hour" has already passed.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others on the 30th, one helicopter sent by the Nepali Army and Korea South-East Power Co., Ltd. conducted the first search on the 28th. The next day, on the 29th, two helicopters from South Korea's Rapid Response Team also took off in succession. However, a ministry official explained that, unlike the original helicopter operation plan, "the search could not be carried out because of the rugged terrain and other conditions."
South Korea's Rapid Response Team and corporate team plan to carry out additional helicopter searches, considering the possibility that some of the nine missing South Korean employees may be stranded on higher ground near the office building. However, they have not made any significant progress so far.
There is also a possibility that the missing people were swept away by the flood. South Korea's Rapid Response Team has not yet expanded the search to downstream areas.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with the families of the nine missing South Korean workers on the 29th. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said of the meeting, "As it was an informal meeting, we cannot disclose specific details."
The families of the missing workers urged the government and companies to launch a faster and more aggressive search. They argued that the ministry should coordinate with Nepal to lift flight restrictions near the weir dam at the plant and deploy ground rescue teams. They also demanded full disclosure to the families of the flight data, video footage, and photos from the helicopter searches conducted since the 28th.
A video showing the tense moment when the office building of the hydroelectric power plant was engulfed by the glacial lake outburst flood in Nepal is also spreading on social networking services.
The video shows employees working on higher ground shouting "Run away" to South Korean workers in the lower area. Within seconds, however, the massive flood swept over the office building, forcing even the employees on higher ground to evacuate in haste. The South Korean workers in the lower area were unable to move to higher ground.
Meanwhile, Doosan Group Chairman Park Jung-won and Vice Chairman Park Ji-won, who also serves as CEO of Doosan Enerbility, arrived in Kathmandu the previous day and are receiving updates on the situation while considering response measures. Korea South-East Power Co., Ltd., which had already sent six headquarters employees to the site, has additionally dispatched a second response team of nine people, including acting President Cho Yeong-hyuk.
[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo Reporter