South Korea Sends 44-Member Disaster Relief Team to Nepal Flood Zone Amid Natural Disasters
South Korea is dispatching a 44-member disaster relief team to Nepal to aid search, rescue and recovery efforts after devastating floods and mudslides killed more than 800 people and left thousands missing, including nine South Koreans, as part of the response to these natural disasters. The Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) will depart late Tuesday aboard a South Korean military transport plane and stay in Nepal for about 10 days to conduct search and rescue, including for the nine missing South Koreans. [1]
South Korea Dispatches Disaster Relief Team
The Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT), consisting of 44 personnel from the foreign ministry, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), fire authorities and other agencies, will depart for Nepal aboard a South Korean military transport plane later in the day, according to the foreign ministry. [1] The team will stay in Nepal for about 10 days, conducting search and rescue operations for victims, including the nine South Koreans who remain unaccounted for, it added. [1] The KDRT is a statutory emergency response unit deployed to provide disaster relief, search and rescue, medical assistance and other support overseas. [1] "The deployment comes as the Nepali government requested our assistance in search and rescue operations in areas affected by the worsening floods in the Rasuwa district," the ministry said in a release. [1] "We will continue to coordinate with the Nepali government and actively explore ways to provide assistance needed on the ground," it added. [1]
Scale of the Himalayan Flood Disaster
The massive floods and mudslides hit Nepal's north-central Himalayan region near the Nepal-Tibet border last Wednesday, killing more than 800 people and leaving around 3,000 others missing, according to foreign media reports. [1] Nepal’s death toll has risen to 903, while the number of people still unaccounted for has nearly doubled to roughly 4,200, according to an update from local officials Sunday. [3] According to officials, the disaster occurred in north-central Nepal when a distant slope failure involving a glacier triggered a rapidly moving debris flow that traveled roughly 62 miles downstream before striking a populated area. [3] Footage from the disaster showed a massive surge of water and debris suddenly rushing through the valleys, engulfing buildings in its path. [3] The glacier-related event resulted in a magnitude 5.2 earthquake, according to the USGS. [3] A second seismic event was recorded approximately three hours later, generating energy equivalent to a magnitude 4.2 earthquake. [3] "The glacial debris contained water and ice that rapidly melted, picking up more material and water as it flowed downslope in the existing stream and river channels, creating a fast-moving, far-traveled landslide and flood laden with boulders and other rubble," the agency said. [3]
Missing South Koreans and Prior Response
The nine missing South Koreans are employees from Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power Co. who were at a hydroelectric power plant construction site in Rasuwa district when the disaster hit. [1] The nine -- six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three of Korea South-East Power Co. -- were working at a hydroelectric power plant construction site in Rasuwa district when the floods struck the area. [1] The government sent a separate rapid response team to Nepal last week, which has been conducting ground and aerial searches for the nine missing South Koreans. [1] Members of the government's joint rapid response team board a helicopter at a domestic airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Aug. 29, 2026, for a search operation, in this photo provided by Seoul's foreign ministry. [1]
International Aid and U.S. Involvement
South Korea has also provided $1 million in humanitarian assistance through international organizations. [1] The U.S. State Department reports about 80 Americans still unaccounted for and is providing $500,000 in aid. [3] "We can confirm that 13 American citizens have made their way to safety in Nepal," a State Department spokesperson told Fox News. [3] The update marks a decrease from a previous estimate of at least 90 Americans who went missing near the Nepal-China border. [3] "The Department will also provide $500,000 in assistance through its global award with Catholic Relief Services, supporting emergency shelter, relief items, and water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance to flood-affected communities," the department said. [3] Twenty-two of the missing Americans were part of a pilgrimage affiliated with a Tennessee-based nonprofit group, Isha Foundation coordination leader Jyoti Jankowski told Fox News Saturday. [3] They were inside an immigration building when the flooding struck the area, Jankowski said. [3]
Nepal Government Request and Ongoing Operations
Nepal has requested South Korean assistance for search and rescue in the Rasuwa district; a separate rapid response team sent last week is already conducting ground and aerial searches. [1] Authorities said Nepal is coordinating with neighboring countries and the international community to provide relief, with supplies already arriving from countries including India and China. [3] More supplies are expected to arrive from the U.S., United Arab Emirates, Myanmar, Qatar, the U.K., Australia, the Republic of Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other international organizations, officials said. [3] "Relief and humanitarian assistance are being provided in the affected areas. We are deeply grateful to our friends and partners for their solidarity, goodwill and generous offers of support at this difficult time," the spokesperson said. [3] Over 10,000 people have been rescued from the regions, including over 323 foreign nationals. [3] As per the available data, about 590 foreign nationals are still missing, from 39 countries. [3]
What to watch next: The KDRT will stay in Nepal for about 10 days conducting search and rescue operations while additional supplies arrive from multiple countries including the Republic of Korea.
