Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power to dispatch emergency response teams as eight employees remain out of contact Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (first from left) attends a government task force meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Wednesday on South Koreans affected by flooding in Nepal. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Wednesday that the safety of 10 South Koreans stranded by flooding in Nepal had been confirmed.Cho made the remarks while presiding over a meeting of the government’s overseas nationals protection task force at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, which began at 10:30 p.m.“Eight South Korean nationals affiliated with Korea South-East Power Co. and Doosan Enerbility remain out of contact,” Cho said.“Another 10 Doosan Enerbility employees have evacuated together with some 200 Nepali and other foreign workers and are waiting to be rescued, but we have confirmed that they are safe and are accompanied by a South Korean consul dispatched to the area.”The Foreign Ministry had initially said eight Koreans were out of contact and another 10 were stranded by the flooding. All 18 had been working on a hydropower plant construction project.Cho said President Lee Jae Myung had ordered the government to mobilize all available resources for search and rescue operations.The president also instructed officials to work closely with the Nepali government, support the families of those who remain out of contact, ensure the safety of Koreans still in the affected area and prevent further casualties, Cho said.Cho noted that foreign media reports indicated hundreds of people were missing, raising concerns that rescue operations could prove difficult.The government will dispatch a joint rapid response team comprising officials from the Foreign Ministry, National Fire Agency and National Police Agency to Nepal on Thursday to assist in search and rescue efforts.Cho said the South Korean Embassy in Nepal would continue looking after the stranded nationals until the team arrived, adding that he planned to speak with his Nepali counterpart Thursday to request cooperation.Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power have also launched their own emergency responses.Doosan Enerbility, which was carrying out engineering, procurement and construction work for the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project, said it had set up an emergency response headquarters and planned to dispatch a team to Nepal early Thursday, including CEO Jung Yeon-in.Korea South-East Power said it had dispatched employees from its office in Kathmandu to the affected area and would also send an emergency response team from Seoul on Thursday.According to local reports, heavy rain triggered severe flooding across parts of Bagmati Province in north-central Nepal.At least 31 people were killed, while 384 travelers, including 291 foreign nationals, were reported missing.