Seoul: The government and Doosan Enerbility Co. have called off plans to deploy two helicopters in the search for nine South Koreans missing in Nepal's recent floods, as local authorities raised safety concerns and declined their requests, officials confirmed.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the operation was initially set to involve two helicopters: one arranged by the government's rapid response team and another by Doosan Enerbility. However, the Nepali government did not grant flight authorization, leaving the helicopters on standby indefinitely.

On the previous day, a helicopter chartered by the government, carrying four rapid response team members, was permitted to fly from Kathmandu to the flood-hit area. It was reportedly the only non-Nepali aircraft allowed to operate on that day. Despite making two flights to the site, the helicopter was unable to land, and the search was conducted visually with analysis of the footage obtained during the flights.

The missing individuals include six employees from Doosan Enerbility and three from Korea South-East Power Co., who were working at a hydroelectric power plant construction site in the Rasuwa district when the catastrophic floods struck the region on Wednesday. Meanwhile, ten other Doosan workers who were stranded in a different area have been successfully relocated to safety.