A Doosan Enerbility site manager who worked at a hydropower plant construction site speaks with reporters at a hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Aug. 30.YONHAP
KATHMANDU, Nepal — Heavy mist thrown up by the force of floodwaters obscured nearly everything at a hydropower plant construction site in Nepal as a flash flood struck the area, a Doosan Enerbility site manager who was later rescued recalled on Sunday.
“When I went outside after hearing about the accident, the spray was so heavy that I couldn’t see what was happening around me,” the manager said in an interview conducted at a hotel in Kathmandu. “Even the office building at the camp across from us was out of sight.”
The manager and nine other Doosan Enerbility employees were stranded at a hydropower plant construction site in Nepal’s Rasuwa region after sudden flooding struck the area on Wednesday. The manager was inside a tunnel when the flooding struck and did not see the water sweeping through the site, according to him. The site only came into view three to four hours later, as the spray subsided.
“I am deeply saddened that we still have employees we have been unable to reach,” he said. “But since I know the conditions at the site better than anyone, I will do everything I can to assist the search.”
The manager said he had nothing else on his mind but the search and rescue effort.
“I can’t think about anything else right now,” he said toward the end of the interview, which was limited to about three minutes out of consideration for his mental health. “My only focus is doing whatever I can to support the search. I will give the search teams and government officials all possible support to help bring the missing people home to their families as soon as possible."
The 10 rescued Doosan employees and hundreds of Nepali workers waited for help at a temporary shelter on relatively high ground, which largely escaped damage. Nepali authorities deployed military helicopters on four flights on Thursday and rescued the workers. The site manager was among the last to be taken to safety, as he refused to leave until he had confirmed the evacuation of the remaining Nepali workers.
Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won and Doosan Enerbility Chairman Park Gee-won met with the rescued employees in Kathmandu on Sunday morning, according to the company. The executives were briefed on conditions at the site.
In the afternoon, they met with the Korean government’s emergency response team and agreed to cooperate as closely as possible to expedite the search.
Two helicopters — one leased by the Korean government — are grounded in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Aug. 30.NEWS1
The Korean government is searching for nine Korean nationals — six from Doosan Enerbility and three from Korea South-East Power — who remain out of contact for five days following the floods, but rugged terrain and restrictions imposed by local authorities on aircraft operations have hampered search efforts.
Two helicopters separately chartered by a government rapid response team and Doosan Enerbility had been scheduled to search areas including the dam site where some of the missing employees had been working.
However, the helicopters could not take off after the Nepali military denied flight clearance, citing safety concerns and heavy air traffic.
The Korean government is also considering using drones in the search. It has provided Nepali authorities with information on where the missing people were believed to be at the time of the flooding.
The death toll continues to rise from massive flooding in the Himalayan region along the border between Nepal and the Tibet region of China. At least 768 people have died, and 3,048 remain missing as of Saturday, according to Nepali authorities.
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.
