No contact with 56 Ukrainians after Nepal floods as situation remains difficult – Foreign Ministry

Fifty-six Ukrainian citizens remain unreachable after devastating floods and landslides in Nepal and Tibet, according to Ukraine's Foreign Ministry. This count has remained constant since noon Kyiv time on August 28. Rescue efforts are ongoing, but no Ukrainian casualties have been reported thus far. The Ukrainian Embassy in China maintains continuous communication with Chinese authorities, while officials from the Ukrainian Embassy in India are present in Nepal, collaborating with Nepalese government agencies, diplomats, hotel managers, tour organizers, and others.

These efforts involve cross-referencing hotel and diplomatic records to locate the missing Ukrainians. They are coordinating with foreign embassies and tour operators to conduct searches and remain in constant contact with emergency services and the missing Ukrainians' families.

The Nepalese government has formed an Emergency Response Team (ERT) under the Foreign Ministry to oversee search-and-rescue operations. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, along with the Department of Consular Services and the Ukrainian embassies in India and China, are closely monitoring the situation, paying special attention to the 56 missing Ukrainian citizens.

The scale of destruction, limited access to mountainous regions, and the threat of further landslides contribute to the challenging circumstances. On August 26, Ukraine lost contact with a group of 46 Ukrainians in Nepal due to the catastrophic floods and landslides triggered by a glacier collapse into a Himalayan river. The Trishuli River in Nepal experienced a sudden 9-meter increase in water level within half an hour, while the Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi originating in Tibet, saw significantly higher flooding.

By the morning of August 27, Nepal had reported 165 deaths and 826 people missing, including around 500 tourists. In Tibet, local authorities indicated that about 558 people were missing, with three fatalities confirmed. As of 10:30 p.m. Kyiv time on August 27, 56 Ukrainians were still unaccounted for in Nepal's disaster zone.