The Korean government has also set up an emergency unit in response to the situation, and President Lee Jae Myung ordered a team to be dispatched to Nepal as soon as possible.
A damaged house submerged in Nepal on Aug. 26AP/YONHAP
Eight Koreans have become unreachable and 10 stranded after flash floods struck Nepal, Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
“We lost contact with eight Korean employees of Korea South-East Power and Doosan Enerbility — who were working on the construction of a hydropower plant in the Rasuwa region — after the area was flooded on Wednesday morning,” the ministry said.
Heavy rainfall caused floods in Bagmati in north-central Nepal, according to Reuters and other reports. The affected area is about 120 kilometers (74 miles) north of the capital, Kathmandu.
It noted that the Nepali government has dispatched a rescue team comprising military and police personnel to the affected site.
“The Nepali government has sent a helicopter to rescue another 10 Korean employees of Doosan Enerbility who remain stranded in the area,” the ministry added.
The Korean Embassy in Nepal notified the Nepali government immediately after learning that eight Korean nationals had become unreachable and requested a swift and extensive search-and-rescue operation. The embassy also dispatched a consular official to the scene.
The Korean government has also set up an emergency response unit headed by the foreign minister.
Meanwhile, President Lee Jae Myung ordered an all-out response and a joint response team from the Foreign Ministry, National Fire Agency and National Police Agency to be dispatched to Nepal as soon as possible.
“Please mobilize every available resource to search for and rescue missing people, with the lives and safety of Koreans as the top priority,” President Lee ordered after being briefed on the situation, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung.
“Work closely with the Nepali government and local authorities, provide full support to the families of the missing, ensure the safety of Koreans in the area and do everything possible to prevent further harm,” Lee said.
CCTV footage shows people running as a wall of mud and water destroys buildings in a valley at the Nepal-China border in Gyirong in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China on Aug. 26.REUTERS/YONHAP
Doosan Enerbility also stated that corporate efforts to rescue missing employees are underway.
“We have confirmed that some employees remain unreachable at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydroelectric power plant construction site, where our company is handling EPC work,” Doosan Enerbility said. EPC stands for engineering, procurement, and construction.
“A total of 20 Korean employees are stationed [there], and five of the 15 who were there when the disaster struck remain uncontactable,” it continued.
“[We] immediately set up an emergency response headquarters to assess the situation and respond to the accident, and we will also dispatch a response team led by CEO Jung Yeon-in to the site. We will work closely with the relevant authorities and project partners and do everything that we can to support search and rescue efforts for those missing.”
The state-run Korea South-East Power also launched an emergency response after losing contact with three employees at the site.
Seven employees in total were stationed in Nepal.
“Our overseas business team is leading efforts to reach the employees, and we are taking all necessary measures under our emergency response procedures,” a Korea South-East Power official said.
A total of 384 travelers, including 291 foreign nationals, were reported missing in the floods in Nepal on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Update, Aug. 26, 2026:Information about the flood, number of travelers missing, Doosan Enerbility’s and Korea South-East Power’s statementsadded.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
