None of the 56 Ukrainians missing after Nepal floods have made contact

As of 28 August, no Ukrainian citizens have appeared on the lists of those killed or injured in the floods in Nepal and Tibet. The situation remains difficult, and there are 56 missing Ukrainian citizens with whom it has not been possible to establish contact.

Source: Foreign Ministry press service in a comment to journalists; Nepal News, citing the police

Quote: "The number of Ukrainian citizens with whom contact has not been established remains unchanged: 56. These are two tour groups of 48 and seven individuals, as well as one Ukrainian woman who was part of a foreign tour group. Search and rescue operations are ongoing. As of now, there are no Ukrainians on the lists of dead or injured."

Details: Ukraine's embassy in China is in constant contact with the Chinese authorities. Consular officials from Ukraine's embassy in India are on the ground in Nepal, where, in coordination with the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Nepal, they have held a series of operational meetings with the relevant Nepalese state authorities, their foreign counterparts, the manager of the hotel where one of the groups of Ukrainians was staying, the tour organiser and others.

The diplomats say the lists provided by the hotel and diplomatic missions have been cross-checked. The Ukrainian consuls are coordinating efforts with other diplomatic missions and tour operators to search for Ukrainian citizens and are in constant contact with emergency rescue services and the families of the Ukrainian citizens.

The government of Nepal has set up an Emergency Response Team within the Foreign Ministry to coordinate the search and rescue operations.

The situation remains difficult due to the scale of the destruction, limited access to mountainous areas and the risk of further landslides.

According to Nepal's police, as of Friday 28 August, the death toll from the devastating flash flood that originated in Rasuwa has reached 489.

A total of 2,381 people remain missing, including 644 foreign nationals (predominantly from India, the US, Ukraine, Malaysia, Australia, the UK and Canada), 127 Nepalese who were visiting the country from abroad, and 1,737 Nepalese citizens.

Background:

• On the morning of 26 August, floods engulfed the Rasuwa district north of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. Torrents of water and mud swept away buildings, roads and bridges and damaged energy infrastructure.
• Early reports indicate the disaster was caused by the collapse of ice and rock from a glacier. The flow blocked the Lhende Khola river, after which a powerful wave of water, mud and debris surged downstream. Transport links have been disrupted in some areas, hampering search and rescue operations.
• Road links, communications and the electricity supply have been disrupted in the region.
• On the morning of 27 August, 55 Ukrainians were known to be missing following the large-scale floods in Nepal and Tibet, and local authorities warned of the possibility of further floods and landslides.
• On the evening of 27 August, the number of missing Ukrainian citizens rose to 56.

Your support on Patreon helps us keep the news free and accessible.