By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-08-27 01:01:31 | Updated at 2026-09-04 14:00:42
1 week ago
SEOUL - At least nine South Korean workers were missing and 10 others were evacuated after sudden flooding struck Nepal’s Rasuwa region in the morning on Aug 26, according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry.
The nine missing workers are employees of the Korea South-East Power and Doosan Enerbility who had been working at a hydroelectric power plant construction site in the area.
The ministry had initially said eight Koreans were unaccounted for, but the South Korean Embassy in Kathmandu later confirmed with Doosan Enerbility that one additional employee could not be reached.
Nepali authorities dispatched a rescue team consisting of military and police personnel to the affected area and are carrying out search and rescue operations, the ministry said.
Another 10 South Korean employees of Doosan Enerbility were initially reported as being stranded at the site awaiting rescue, though the company confirmed they were safe.
The Foreign Minister later confirmed that the 10 employees were evacuated to safety with other Nepali and foreign workers. They are accompanied by a Korean consul dispatched to the area, according to the ministry.
Doosan Enerbility, which is carrying out engineering, procurement and construction work for the hydropower project, said it had immediately set up an emergency response headquarters and planned to dispatch a team early on Aug 27, including CEO Jung Yeon-in, to Nepal.
Korea South-East Power also said three of its employees at the site could not be reached. The state-run power company said it had set up an emergency situation room and plans to dispatch a response team to Nepal on Aug 27.
South Korea’s embassy in Nepal also notified authorities there immediately after learning of the incident and requested swift search and rescue efforts for the eight missing nationals. A consular official was also dispatched to the scene.
President Lee Jae Myung ordered an all-out response, prompting the government to establish an emergency task force for the protection of overseas nationals, consisting of officials from the Foreign Ministry, the National Fire Agency and the National Police Agency.
The task force is headed by Foreign Minister Cho Hyun. The team is expected to be dispatched to Nepal as soon as possible.
According to local reports, heavy rain triggered severe flooding across parts of Bagmati Province in north-central Nepal.
At least 22 people were killed, while 384 travellers, including 291 foreign nationals, were reported missing, according to reports.
Among the missing foreigners were 105 Indian nationals, the agency added.
The affected area lies about 120km north of Kathmandu, near Nepal’s border with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region in the Himalayas. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
