Government dispatches second KDRT team to Nepal, 8 members arrive Friday

The government will dispatch a second Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) to Nepal to support ongoing search operations and reconstruction efforts following devastating floods in the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a briefing to reporters Thursday that the second KDRT team will arrive in Nepal on Friday aboard a military transport aircraft, the KC-330. The team comprises a small search and rescue contingent alongside a reconstruction support team.

The second KDRT dispatch consists of eight members in total. They include personnel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Fire Agency, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and a medical team. After arriving, they will carry out recovery and remaining search support operations in Nepal for seven days.

Regarding the additional dispatch, the Foreign Ministry said, "In accordance with Article 4 (Basic Principles of Overseas Emergency Relief) of the Act on Overseas Emergency Relief, we plan to provide support on humanitarian grounds in response to a request from the Nepalese government."

In addition, relief supplies will be delivered alongside the team. Upon arrival, the second KDRT team will directly hand over about 4 tons of relief supplies to the Nepalese government, including tents, cold-weather clothing and blankets. The supplies, worth 180 million won ($135,000), were donated by domestic companies through a Korean nongovernmental organization.

Earlier, the government dispatched the first KDRT team of 44 members on Sept. 1, followed by emergency relief supplies worth 130 million won, including thermal blankets. Through the dispatch of the second team, the government plans to continue supporting relief and recovery efforts in Nepal.