▲ Nepal Army officers conduct a helicopter rescue of survivors following a flash flood in Trishuli Bazar, Nuwakot district, Nepal, on Aug. 26, 2026, in this handout photo made available by the Nepal Army and released by EPA. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (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)
▲ Military personnel rescue a man stranded by massive floods and landslides along the Nepal-Tibet border, in this handout video grab from UGC footage of the Nepal Army taken and released by AFP on Aug. 26, 2026. 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. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead with latest info; ADDS details throughout)

By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- Nine of 10 South Koreans who had been isolated following massive flooding in Nepal were moved to safety Thursday, while one remains at the affected site, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

The 10 South Koreans affiliated with plant builder Doosan Enerbility Co. had been staying at a temporary shelter after evacuating the area, along with about 200 foreign employees working on a hydropower plant construction project in Nepal's Rasuwa district, according to the ministry.

Nine of the 10 were transported by a Nepalese military helicopter to a safer area earlier in the day, while the remaining South Korean, a Doosan site manager, stayed at the construction site, it added.

Separately, nine other South Koreans -- six Doosan employees and three of the state-run Korea South-East Power Co. -- remain unaccounted for after a massive flash flood and mudslide struck the area Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the 11-member rapid response team, comprising officials from the foreign ministry, police and fire authorities, departed for Nepal 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 how search and rescue operations will proceed. Access to the affected area is difficult due to the widespread damage and rugged terrain, officials said, adding that further discussions on the ground are needed.

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.

Cho held phone talks with Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal and expressed condolences to the Nepalese people affected by the disaster. He also asked Nepal's government to actively support the search and rescue of the missing South Koreans.

During an emergency meeting 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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