The missing workers include six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three from Korea South-East Power (KOEN).
A government-led rescue team along with those from the two companies arrived in Kathmandu shortly after Wednesday's disaster to help search for the missing workers. They have secured six helicopters, but Nepalese authorities have not yet allowed them to fly.
The site of the massive flash flooding in Rasuwa, located in Nepal's north-central Himalayan region near the border with Tibet, is currently inaccessible by road after nearby roads and bridges were swept away. Officials said helicopters are the only way to reach the area.
"With roads and bridges leading to the site washed away by the floods, air transport remains the only way to reach the area. But we have not been able to fly the helicopters because of unpredictable weather, the risk of further flooding and restrictions from local authorities," said a South Korean Foreign Ministry official on Saturday.
As South Korean rescuers continue trying to get helicopters to the search site, Nepalese authorities have already conducted aerial searches of the area where the nine South Koreans are believed to have been swept away, but no progress has been made.
Nepalese authorities said they would consider South Korea's request for help with the search and take appropriate measures.
The Ministry of National Defense also said the previous day that it had been discussing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the dispatch of a KC-330 Cygnus multipurpose aerial refueling aircraft to carry relief equipment and supplies, once approved by Nepalese authorities.
Meanwhile, 10 other South Koreans who were rescued from the affected area have been moved to a safe location, but their return to South Korea has not yet been decided.
As countries around the world continue efforts to find and rescue their citizens in Nepal, the death toll from the catastrophic disaster has risen to nearly 600, with more than 2,000 people still missing as of Saturday.
AJP Takeaways
• Nine South Koreans remain missing after catastrophic floods and landslides struck a hydropower plant construction site in Rasuwa, northern Nepal, on Aug. 26, 2026.
• South Korean rescuers have secured six helicopters to search for the missing workers, but Nepalese authorities have not yet approved their operation because of bad weather, the risk of further flooding and local restrictions.
• The disaster has killed nearly 600 people and left more than 2,000 missing as of Aug. 29, 2026, while 10 other South Koreans rescued from the affected area have been moved to safety.
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