Kathmandu [Nepal], September 5 (ANI): South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday for a three-day visit to discuss cooperation and assistance in the search for South Korean citizens missing following the devastating Bhotekoshi floods and landslides.
According to South Korean Yonhap news agency, Cho was scheduled to meet his Nepali counterpart Shisir Khanal and other Nepalese government officials to discuss Seoul's support for search-and-rescue efforts and long-term cooperation, including reconstruction.
"I will have talks with Nepal's foreign minister (Shisir Khanal) tomorrow and also meet with other Nepalese government officials," Cho told reporters after arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, according to Yonhap. "With the Nepalese government, I will discuss issues regarding rescue efforts and also our long-term cooperation in areas including reconstruction."
Nine South Korean nationals -- six employees of Doosan Enerbility Co. and three of Korea South-East Power Co. -- went missing on August 26 after massive floods and landslides hit Nepal's Rasuwa District near the Nepal-Tibet border while they were working at a hydropower plant construction site, Yonhap reported.
Cho said he would seek Nepal's support to facilitate and intensify search efforts for the missing South Korean nationals. The two sides were also expected to discuss support measures for the recovery of affected areas and other issues of mutual concern.
"I will do my best," Cho said. "I promise to speed up search efforts for our missing nationals so that they can be rescued alive."
According to Yonhap, Cho was also scheduled to meet the families of the missing South Koreans and encourage the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) working at the disaster site.
The KDRT, dispatched by the South Korean government to support search-and-rescue operations, was working with Nepalese authorities and corporate response teams, using helicopters, drones, search dogs and other equipment to search for the missing people, Yonhap reported.
Later on Saturday, the Nepalese military announced that a joint rescue team comprising Nepalese Army troops and South Korean disaster specialists had rescued a Chinese man from the same hydropower plant construction site where the nine missing South Koreans had been working, according to Yonhap.
The joint team also recovered six unidentified bodies from the site, while the KDRT separately announced that it had found one unidentified body.
After completing his Nepal visit, Cho is expected to travel directly to France to accompany South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on his state visit, according to officials, Yonhap reported.
According to the latest update issued by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) at 6 PM, the number of human casualties stood at 1,331, compared with 1,344 in its noon update.
The number of bodies recovered in Rasuwa decreased from 160 to 156, while recoveries increased in Nuwakot from 192 to 195 and in Gorkha from 73 to 74. Bodies recovered in Nawalparasi West declined from 230 to 219, while the figures for Dhading, Tanahun, Nawalparasi East and Chitwan remained unchanged.
The number of bodies handed over to families increased from 96 at noon to 98 by 6 PM.
The latest update said around 5,000 people are still missing. Of these, around 1,967 were reported missing by the District Administration Office in Rasuwa and around 2,340 by the DAO in Nuwakot. Around 100 security personnel and government officials and 589 foreign nationals are also listed among those missing.
A total of 13,101 people have been rescued so far, including 304 foreigners.
Amid catastrophic flash floods, the Nepalese Army and international teams are mounting massive Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations to reach isolated communities in the Himalayan nation. (ANI)
"I promise to speed up search efforts": South Korean FM Cho Hyun arrives in Nepal to discuss missing nationals
