A helicopter operated by Doosan Enerbility Co. resumed search operations on Monday, 31 August for nine South Koreans missing in catastrophic floods and landslides in Nepal's Rasuwa district, after receiving clearance from local authorities for the first time since the disaster struck. The nine — six Doosan Enerbility employees and three Korea South-East Power Co. employees — were working at a hydroelectric power plant construction site when the floods hit last Wednesday.

Search Operations Resume

The Doosan helicopter, one of two the company has secured for the mission, departed at approximately 11 a.m. local time and flew over the site where the workers were last known to be. Search personnel on board scanned the terrain for signs of the missing and recorded video footage for later analysis, the company confirmed.

South Korea has collectively secured six helicopters for the rescue effort. The last confirmed helicopter operation before Monday was on Saturday, when a government-leased aircraft flew two sorties in a single day.

Ground Search Launched

Earlier on Monday, a South Korean government joint rapid response team launched a ground search after failing to secure helicopter clearance on Sunday due to adverse weather and a temporary ban by Nepalese authorities on foreign helicopter operations. Some team members travelled by road to Ramche, located approximately 1–2 kilometres from the site where the workers went missing, and planned to camp there overnight.

The response team — comprising officials from South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, police, and fire authorities — was dispatched to Nepal last week. The team has also been interviewing Nepali survivors to piece together the movements of the missing workers. A drone search is additionally planned, subject to clearance from local authorities.

Diplomatic Push for Faster Access

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun spoke by phone with his Nepalese counterpart, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, requesting close cooperation and swift action. Cho specifically sought the Nepalese military's assistance in permitting searches in the area where the missing workers are presumed to have lost communication. He also expressed gratitude for Nepal's role in safely rescuing 10 other South Koreans who had been trapped in the initial aftermath of the floods.

Khanal thanked Cho for South Korea's solidarity, and both sides agreed to maintain close communication on rescue and recovery efforts. The two ministers had previously spoken on Thursday. South Korean officials also separately contacted the chief of Nepal Police and representatives of the Nepal Army on Sunday.

Scale of the Disaster

The floods have killed more than 800 people across Nepal and left around 3,000 others missing, according to foreign media reports, making it one of the deadliest monsoon disasters the country has seen in recent years. The Rasuwa district, situated in the high-altitude terrain near the Tibet border, is particularly prone to flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season — a risk that has repeatedly disrupted infrastructure projects in the region.

As search conditions remain weather-dependent, the South Korean team is expected to press forward with both aerial and ground operations in the coming days.