▲ A handout photo made available by the Nepal Army and released by EPA shows army officers conducting a helicopter rescue of survivors following a flash flood in Trishuli Bazar, Nuwakot district, Nepal, on Aug. 26, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ Members of South Korea's Disaster Response Team arrive at Incheon airport, west of Seoul, on Aug. 27, 2026, before heading to Nepal to support search and rescue efforts after nine South Koreans remain unaccounted for following massive flooding in the country. (Yonhap)
▲ This AFP photo shows an aerial view of houses lying deluged in sludge after flash floods at Devighat, Bidur Municipality in Nepal's Nuwakot district on Aug. 27, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ This handout video grab from UGC footage of the Nepal Army taken and released by AFP on Aug. 26, 2026, shows military personnel rescuing a man stranded by massive floods and landslides along the Nepal-Tibet border. A massive flood and landslide disaster unleashed on the Nepal-Tibet border killed nearly 100 on Aug. 26 and left several hundred people missing, many of whom are foreign tourists. (Yonhap)

(ATTN: ADDS latest updates from 5th para, additional photos)

By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government sent a joint emergency response team to Nepal on Thursday to support search and rescue efforts for nine South Koreans who remain unaccounted for following massive flooding, the foreign ministry said.

The nine Koreans -- six employees of plant builder Doosan Enerbility Co. and three of Korea South-East Power Co., a state-run power generation company -- went missing while working at a hydropower plant construction site in Nepal's Rasuwa district after a massive flash flood and mudslide struck the area Wednesday.

Separately, 10 other Doosan workers who had been stranded in the area were confirmed safe but were still awaiting rescue, according to the ministry. They had evacuated the area along with about 200 foreign employees working on the construction project.

The 11-member rapid response team, comprising officials from the foreign ministry, police and fire authorities, departed for Nepal on Thursday and is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu that evening, the ministry said.

"The team will work closely with our embassy in Nepal and Nepalese authorities to make every effort to search for and rescue our nationals," ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said at a press briefing.

"As about 20,000 South Koreans visit Nepal each year for tourism, we are continuing to check whether any other nationals have been affected," he added.

Doosan and the power generation company have also set up their own emergency response teams and dispatched field response teams to the accident site.

It remains unclear when the 10 stranded South Koreans will be rescued and how search and rescue operations will proceed. Access to the affected area is difficult due to the widespread damage, and further discussions on the ground are needed, officials said.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun suggested the government could send a larger-scale rescue team to Nepal, if necessary, saying the one being dispatched would serve as an advance team.

"If we send additional personnel, it would have to be dozens of people," Cho said. "I will speak with Nepal's foreign minister and ask for cooperation."

During an emergency meeting on Thursday, President Lee Jae Myung instructed officials to make every effort to safeguard the people's lives and safety by mobilizing all available resources.

The two Korean firms are involved in the construction of the Upper Trishuli-1 (UT-1) hydropower plant on the Trishuli River, about 70 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu.

The 216-megawatt facility began construction in January 2022 and was scheduled for completion and commercial operation by year-end. But flood damage at the site is expected to significantly delay the project.

The death toll and number of people missing from the disaster have continued to rise, reaching at least 165 and 826, respectively, many of the missing foreigners, according to foreign media reports.

The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed that a glacial collapse and debris flow caused the devastating impacts downstream.

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