KOEN deploys 4 additional thermal and infrared drones

Acting KOEN president joins search aboard Nepali military helicopter

Doosan Enerbility resumes chartered helicopter operations

Power plant office building, weir dam and river downstream under intensive survey

Members of a South Korean government joint rapid-response team board a military helicopter at a helipad in Dunche, Rasuwa, Nepal, on Tuesday (local time), heading to the site where nine South Korean nationals went missing following massive flooding. [Yonhap]
Members of a South Korean government joint rapid-response team board a military helicopter at a helipad in Dunche, Rasuwa, Nepal, on Tuesday (local time), heading to the site where nine South Korean nationals went missing following massive flooding. [Yonhap]

The search for nine South Korean workers who went missing after catastrophic flooding in Nepal is expanding. Korea South-East Power (KOEN) has deployed additional thermal and infrared drones capable of detecting human body heat, while Doosan Enerbility has resumed helicopter operations to re-examine the power plant office building and the area around the dam.

According to the on-site corporate response team, KOEN deployed four additional drones equipped with thermal and infrared imaging on Tuesday. A total of six drones — including previously deployed units — are now conducting intensive sweeps of the base camp and powerhouse of the Upper Trishuli (UT)-1 hydropower plant, as well as the river downstream.

The equipment reinforcement reflects the scale of the search area and the difficulty of visual inspection in zones obscured by sediment and debris. The thermal and infrared gear is being used to detect signs of human presence, while video footage is being captured to assess conditions in areas that are difficult to reach.

KOEN had already deployed two drones each on Saturday and Monday. On Tuesday, the company expanded both its equipment and the scope of the search.

Jo Yeong-hyeok, KOEN's acting president, also boarded a Nepali military helicopter on Tuesday to take part directly in the search over the affected area.

Doosan Enerbility continued its aerial search by helicopter. One of the two helicopters the company has secured lifted off at around 3:30 p.m. local time — 6:45 p.m. Korean Standard Time — for the search operation. The other is awaiting flight authorization from Nepali authorities.

The helicopter is set to again sweep the power plant office building and the upper weir dam area where the missing Korean workers were stationed, following a similar run on Monday. Doosan Enerbility conducted no separate drone search on Tuesday.

The nine South Korean workers went missing in the Rasuwa district of Bagmati Province, where they were building the UT-1 hydropower plant, after massive flooding struck Nepal on Aug. 26. Six of the missing are Doosan Enerbility employees and three are KOEN employees.

Both companies are pursuing ground access and aerial searches in parallel. On Monday, Doosan Enerbility reached the vicinity of the power plant by road and deployed one drone to photograph the office building and the upper weir dam.

The company also deployed one chartered helicopter. In the morning, it landed near the powerhouse to conduct a ground search; in the afternoon, it took off again to survey the power plant office building and the area around the weir dam from the air.

For search operations, Doosan Enerbility currently has two helicopters and KOEN has one. Both companies are continuing talks with Nepali authorities to secure additional flight approvals.

The Doosan Enerbility helicopter, which had been on standby since Thursday, operated on both Monday and Tuesday. The helicopter secured by KOEN conducted one search over the affected area on Friday and has since been awaiting approval for further flights.

Both companies are also expanding their on-the-ground response teams. Doosan Enerbility plans to dispatch additional personnel, bringing its field response team to around 20 people.


kwater@heraldcorp.com