A video shows a stranded Chinese survivor standing up as Korean rescuers approach to save him in footage carried by Yonhap News TV.KOREA DISASTER RELIEF TEAM
Video footage showing the tense moment when the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) rescued a Chinese survivor of the Nepal flash flood was released by Korean authorities on Sunday.
The rescue came 10 days after a landslide and massive flooding occurred along the border between Nepal and the Tibet region of China on Aug. 26.
“Are you okay?” a Korean rescuer asked as they pointed the flashlight toward what appeared to be a human figure. As Korean rescuers approached closer, they confirmed the survivor was waiting on a platform above the flood debris inside the tunnel.
With the rescuers' instructions and assistance, the survivor climbed down from the platform on his own using an attached metal beam.
The survivor was wearing a full-sleeve T-shirt and only boxer shorts. He was not wearing shoes.
“When the rescuers’ light shone on me, I could not shout back because I could not believe that they were here to save me,” the survivor told Chinese broadcaster CCTV.
A Chinese survivor trapped inside a tunnel smiles as Korean rescuers come to save him in footage carried by Yonhap News TV.KOREA DISASTER RELIEF TEAM
The footage was recorded with a camera attached to the Korean rescuers' helmets. The clip also showed the rescuers wading through mud that reached their upper torsos.
The Chinese survivor was found inside a 225-meter-long (738-foot-long) tunnel and was later transported to a military hospital by helicopter.
The survivor was found at the hydropower plant construction site where nine missing Koreans had been working. One Korean is believed to be near the weir dam, close to where the survivor was found, while the other eight are believed to be farther downstream.
The KDRT, which began rescue efforts in Nepal last Thursday,plans to continue the search mission inside the tunnel, as the survivor said another person was nearby, though he did not know whether the person was alive.
Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is also set to hold ministerial talks with his Nepali counterpart regarding rescue efforts to find missing Koreans.
