Korean response team sets off on ground search in Nepal after local government rejects helicopter authorization

A rapid response team dispatched by the Korean government to search for nine Koreans who lost contact after massive flooding in Nepal will begin searching by land after difficulties securing the local authority's permission for helicopter operations.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get permission for a helicopter today,” a response team official told reporters at a hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sunday. “Some of our personnel set out by road this morning to get as close to the site as possible.”

The team reached the Battar area of Bidur on Sunday. Battar is about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the incident site in the Rasuwa area.

The team assessed conditions in Battar and reviewed the supplies and equipment its members would need to continue toward the site by road.

After reviewing the situation, it determined that a ground search would be possible and plans to reach an area near the site within a day.

“The road from here leads up toward the area, and if we follow it, we can reach a village near the site,” the official said. “With that in mind, we carried out preliminary surveys and other necessary preparations.”

The team has also applied for permission to use drones during search operations once its members advance by land.

Team members met with a senior Nepalese police official on Sunday and asked local authorities to focus their search on areas where the missing Koreans are believed to be.

“There are currently no foreign rescue teams operating in Nepal due to the government’s policy,” the official said, noting that the restriction has made rescue and search operations more difficult.

BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]