Search for 4 Missing Persons in Nepal's Annapurna Temporarily Suspended Due to Difficulties in Deploying Search Personnel and Equipment

Missing for 9 Days, Local Female Dog Anxiously Waits... Search Team, Exhausting Efforts, Temporarily Withdraws from Accident Site
Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Discuss Resuming Search When Weather and Conditions Improve

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] A search operation to find four missing Korean teachers who were caught in an avalanche in Annapurna, Nepal, continued for a week, but no awaited news was received. The unpredictable weather caused difficulties, including reduced continuity of the search. The search operation, which involved helicopters, rescue dogs, and drones equipped with thermal detection devices, was eventually suspended on the afternoon of the 23rd.

According to the government on the 25th, all search teams temporarily withdrew from the accident site. Due to the unpredictable weather and a sharp drop in temperature, the search personnel could no longer endure the conditions, and it became difficult to operate rescue dogs and various equipment. The Nepalese military, which assisted in the search for the missing persons, returned to their base, and mountaineer Captain Um Hong-gil, who operated the drone team equipped with detection devices, also decided to return to Korea.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "The nine military search personnel deployed to the accident site on the 21st all returned to Pokhara on the 24th, and the local resident search teams returned to their original residences from the accident site on the 23rd and are currently on standby at their respective residences in preparation for future search operations." He added, "The drone operation team, which returned from the accident site to Pokhara on the 23rd, is currently maintaining the equipment in preparation for future search operations."

About 50 civil, public, and military search teams concentrated on areas where the missing persons were presumed to be, but they failed to find them. At the request of the Korean government, Nepalese authorities mobilized all available rescue personnel from the 18th to conduct the search, but only a few fragments of personal belongings were found, and the missing persons were not located.

The biggest obstacle to the search was the weather. The weather, which was clear in the morning, often deteriorated suddenly in the afternoon, and concerns about additional landslides made access difficult. Moreover, the avalanche site was located three days away by vehicle and on foot from the nearest city, Pokhara, making it challenging to deploy heavy equipment.

Helicopters, rescue dogs, and drones were deployed to the area where the missing persons were presumed to be. Helicopters, including military helicopters, were deployed?three in total?although their operation was difficult immediately after the accident due to worsening weather. Metal detectors were also used to detect metallic items carried by the missing persons.

Two drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras were also deployed to the site to locate the missing persons. This equipment is reported to be capable of detecting heat up to 4 meters deep under the snow. From the 22nd, two rescue dogs that had been active in a large avalanche were also deployed to the site to assist in the operation.

According to AFP and others, Tandu Raj Ghimire, Director of the Nepal Tourism Board, stated, "The situation has become too dangerous to continue the search," and added, "We plan to resume the search when conditions permit and the snow starts to melt." Earlier, Park Young-sik, the Korean Ambassador to Nepal, said, "There is too much snow and noise at the site, and continuous snowfall makes it difficult to work unless the snow melts, as pointed out by local residents and experts."

It is expected to take a considerable amount of time for the snow to melt. A local official explained that it could take one to two weeks for areas with less snow accumulation to melt, and more than a month for areas with heavy snow accumulation.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The search operation, which was temporarily suspended on the afternoon of the 23rd, was due to worsening weather and search conditions," and added, "We plan to discuss future plans, including resuming the search operation with Nepalese authorities, when weather conditions improve and search conditions become favorable."

The four teachers from the Chungnam Office of Education went missing on the morning of the 17th while descending from the Annapurna Deurali mountain lodge, along with two Nepalese guides, after being caught in an avalanche.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korean Embassy in Nepal will continue to provide consular assistance for the rapid resolution of the situation, including search and rescue of the missing persons and support for the families of the victims, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Chungnam Office of Education, and relevant Nepalese authorities.