Who are the nine Koreans missing in Nepal floods?

The missing Koreans are six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three of Korea South-East Power. They disappeared while working at a hydropower plant construction site in Rasuwa District near the Nepal-Tibet border.

Why did Korea send a second disaster relief team to Nepal?

The second KDRT team was sent to support the search for the missing Koreans after flood response shifted toward recovery. The team planned to use drones in coordination with Nepali authorities and had also been briefed on ongoing search missions led by Korean companies.

What happened in the first Korea Disaster Relief Team mission in Nepal?

The first 44-member KDRT contingent returned home after a 10-day search-and-rescue mission. It rescued one Chinese survivor but did not find the missing Koreans.

Korea's 2nd disaster relief team to deploy drones in Nepal search operations

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Summary

Korea’s second disaster relief team in Nepal was set to deploy drones on Tuesday to help search for nine missing Koreans after last month’s floods, Seoul’s foreign ministry said. The eight-member team arrived in Kathmandu on Friday and is coordinating with Nepali authorities. The missing Koreans were working at a hydropower plant construction site in Rasuwa District near the Nepal-Tibet border when the floods and landslides struck on Aug. 26. The first KDRT contingent returned home Saturday after a 10-day mission that found one Chinese survivor but not the missing Koreans.

Key Facts

The nine missing Koreans include six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three of Korea South-East Power.
The disaster hit Rasuwa District near the Nepal-Tibet border on Aug. 26, when massive floods and landslides struck the area.
The second contingent of the Korea Disaster Relief Team consists of eight members and arrived in Kathmandu on Friday.
The first 44-member KDRT contingent returned home on Saturday after a 10-day search-and-rescue mission.
More than 1,400 people have been killed and over 5,600 remain missing in Nepal and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, according to foreign media reports.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 15, 2026 4:18 pm KST

The Korea Disaster Relief Team is briefed by local Red Cross officials about last month's devastating floods that hit Rasuwa District near the Nepal-Tibet border, Monday (local time). Courtesy of Korea Disaster Relief Team

A Korean relief team dispatched to Nepal was set to deploy drones Tuesday as part of their search efforts for nine Koreans who remain missing following last month's devastating floods, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

The second contingent of the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT), who arrived in Kathmandu on Friday, was seeking to employ drones for the rescue operation in coordination with Nepali authorities, according to the ministry.

The nine Koreans — six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three of Korea South-East Power — went missing on Aug. 26 after massive floods and landslides hit Rasuwa District near the Nepal-Tibet border while they were working at a hydropower plant construction site.

The eight-member contingent was briefed on the ongoing search missions led by Korean companies and has conducted on-site inspections for reconstruction and recovery efforts in flood-stricken Nepal.

On Saturday, the first 44-member KDRT contingent returned home after a 10-day search-and-rescue mission. The team rescued one Chinese survivor but failed to locate the Koreans still unaccounted for.

More than 1,400 people have been killed, with over 5,600 still missing in Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region following the disaster, according to foreign media reports.

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