A drone view shows mud covering buildings and property following a flash flood in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, on Aug. 27.REUTERS/YONHAP
A massive flood in the Himalayan mountain region of north-central Nepal is heightening concerns among the Korean community in the country.
“We are assessing the situation together with the embassy, but it is difficult to obtain information because communications networks in the flood-hit area have been destroyed and roads have been cut off,” Cha Seung-won, head of the Korean Association in Nepal, told the JoongAng Ilbo by phone Wednesday.
About 650 Korean nationals are registered as overseas residents in Nepal, according to the association.
As of Thursday morning, at least 160 people have died and 403 remain missing, including 341 foreign nationals, after massive flooding struck Rasuwa district in north-central Nepal’s Bagmati province at around 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to Reuters and the Associated Press.
LEE JEONG-MIN
Nine Koreans — employees of Korea South-East Power (KOEN) and Doosan Enerbility, which were constructing a hydropower plant in the area — have lost contact following the flood.
Rasuwa district in Bagmati province, where the flooding occurred, is a popular summer pilgrimage destination for Hindu, Buddhist and Jain devotees, as well as a starting point for several popular trekking routes. While no Korean nationals are registered as residents of the district, concerns remain that tourists may have been among those affected.
“The area along the Bhote Koshi River that overflowed is near the border with Tibet, China,” Cha said. “Floods have occurred there several times in the past.”
A person with experience trekking in the nearby mountains also said the area is particularly vulnerable to disasters.
“There are only a few rivers connected to the high-altitude Tibetan region, and the ground around the Bhote Koshi River is unstable, which makes the area even more dangerous,” the person said. “Major disasters such as floods, landslides and glacial lake outburst floods seem to have become more frequent in recent years.”
A drone view shows mud covering buildings following a flash flood in Trishuli, Nuwakot district, Nepal, on Aug. 27.REUTERS/YONHAP
Rasuwa was also hit by flooding in August last year after a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed. Climate experts at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said that an avalanche originating from a glacier was likely to have caused the latest flood.
Budhi, a Nepali from Rasuwa who lives in Korea, also said that they have never seen anything this severe, despite the area having suffered floods before.
Shrestha, another Rasuwa native, said they haven’t been able to reach my family or anyone in the village since yesterday afternoon.
Damage in the aftermath of flash floods in Devighat in the Nuwakot district in Nepal, on Aug 27AP/YONHAP
Concerns have also spread across online trekking communities.
“I had originally planned to start the Annapurna Base Camp trek today,” a person who said they were currently in Nepal posted on an online community at around 5:40 a.m. Wednesday. “It is not in the area affected by the flood, but I am still worried. Is it all right to get on the bus [and head out as planned]?”
Another person who said they were in Bamboo, a village about halfway along the trekking route, wrote, “I’m not sure whether I should keep going up or head back down.”
Other community members advised them that the flooding did not appear to have a major impact on the Annapurna route but urged them to follow the advice of local residents and guides.
Notices have continued to appear across online communities warning trekkers to reconsider plans to visit areas near the flood zone.
“Access to the Langtang area near Rasuwa will likely be difficult for the time being, so it may be best to change fall trekking plans,” one notice said.
The Korean Association in Nepal has also asked people who need emergency rescue or assistance in flood-hit areas to contact the association immediately.
“I recognize so many of the faces there, and I’m extremely worried,” an association member wrote. Another said, “It is the offseason and the rainy season, so hopefully there were not many people there. Let’s hope everyone is somewhere safe.”
People walk through damage in the aftermath of flash floods in Devighat, Nuwakot district, Nepal, on Aug. 27.AP/YONHAP
Nepalis living in Korea have also begun efforts to assess the extent of the damage. About 100,000 Nepalis currently live in Korea, making them the third-largest group of registered foreign residents after Chinese and Vietnamese nationals.
The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) in Korea held an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss ways to support those affected. The group also organized fund-raising efforts after the 2015 Nepal earthquake, which killed more than 8,800 people.
Parbati Tamang Moktan, head of the NRNA in Korea, said the association is analyzing the situation, preparing relief supplies such as clothing and food and organizing volunteers.
The government sent a rapid response team to Nepal to support search and rescue efforts for the missing Koreans. The team comprises four Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, five firefighters and two police officers. The team is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu via Hong Kong.
KOEN and Doosan Enerbility also plan to dispatch response teams to Nepal to assist with recovery efforts.
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.
