KB News Desk
Eight South Korean workers were missing and 10 others were stranded in Nepal after sudden flooding struck the Rasuwa region on Wednesday morning, according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry.
The eight missing workers are employees of the Korea South-East Power Co. and Doosan Enerbility who had been working at a hydroelectric power plant construction site in the area.
Nepali authorities dispatched a rescue team consisting of military and police personnel to the affected area and are carrying out search and rescue operations, the ministry said.
Another 10 South Korean employees of Doosan Enerbility were stranded at the site awaiting rescue. The Nepali government had sent a helicopter, according to the Foreign Ministry.
South Korea’s embassy in Nepal notified authorities there immediately after learning of the incident and requested swift search and rescue efforts for the eight missing nationals. A consular official was also dispatched to the scene.
President Lee Jae Myung ordered an all-out response, prompting the government to establish an emergency task force for the protection of overseas nationals, consisting of officials from the Foreign Ministry, the National Fire Agency and the National Police Agency.
The task force will be headed by Foreign Minister Cho Hyun. The team is expected to be dispatched to Nepal as soon as possible.
