South Korean helicopter search for nine missing nationals in Nepal floods cancelled

Seoul, Aug 30 (IANS) The South Korean government and Doosan Enerbility Co. on Sunday cancelled plans to send two helicopters to search for nine South Koreans missing in Nepal’s devastating floods after local authorities declined their requests over safety issues, officials said.

Two helicopters had been scheduled to be used: one chartered by the government’s rapid response team and the other chartered by Doosan Enerbility.

Flight authorisation was not granted by the Nepali government, however, putting them on standby until further notice, Yonhap News Agency reported.

On Saturday, a government-chartered helicopter carrying four rapid response team members flew twice from Kathmandu toward the flood site, becoming reportedly the only non-Nepali aircraft cleared to fly that day.

The helicopter reportedly failed to land, and the search was instead conducted visually, with footage from the flight analysed.

Six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three of Korea South-East Power Co. remain missing since the massive floods struck Nepal’s north-central Himalayan border area Wednesday.

They had been working at a hydroelectric power plant construction site in the Rasuwa district when the floods hit the region.

Ten other Doosan workers who had been isolated at a different location have been moved to safety.

On Saturday, Seoul offered to deploy a Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT), a statutory emergency response unit, and is currently in talks with Nepali authorities on the matter, the Foreign Ministry said.

“We are fully preparing to dispatch a KDRT at any time once the Nepali side accepts our proposal,” a ministry official said.

Through the KDRT, Seoul can send personnel and supplies for search and rescue, medical and other relief missions, but only at the request of the host country.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said Friday the country needs special technical help to restore transportation and communication lines but not in search and rescue operations, according to a Reuters report.

“We understand that Nepal is prioritising military and police-led search and rescue operations due to the region’s unique terrain and weather conditions, and will request foreign assistance when the need arises,” the Seoul official said.

–IANS

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