As of August 28, contact has not been established with 56 citizens of Ukraine who were in the flood-affected areas of Nepal and Tibet. At the same time, there are no Ukrainians on the lists of dead and injured. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
This involves two tourist groups - 48 and 7 people - as well as one Ukrainian woman who was traveling as part of a foreign tourist group.
Ukrainian diplomats are coordinating the search with Nepalese government bodies, foreign diplomatic missions, tour operators, and rescue services. Consular officers from the Embassy of Ukraine in India are on the ground in Nepal. The honorary consul of Ukraine in Nepal is also involved in the work.
Diplomats have cross-referenced lists provided by hotels and diplomatic missions, and are also maintaining contact with relatives of Ukrainians whose whereabouts are currently unknown.
The government of Nepal has established an Emergency Response Team (ERT) within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate search and rescue operations.
According to the police of Nepal, as of August 28, 489 people have died as a result of the flash flood. Another 2,381 people are considered missing. Among them are 644 foreigners, including citizens of India, the USA, Ukraine, Malaysia, Australia, Great Britain, and Canada.
What is known about the flood
The flood hit the Rasuwa district north of Nepal's capital Kathmandu on the morning of August 26. Flows of water, mud, and debris destroyed houses, roads, and bridges, and also damaged power infrastructure.
According to preliminary conclusions, the cause of the disaster could have been an ice and rockfall from a glacier. The flow blocked the Lhende Khola river, after which a powerful wave of water, mud, and debris moved downstream.
Due to the destruction in the region, transport links are complicated, communication and electricity supply are disrupted, which hinders search and rescue operations.
August 27 it was reported about 55 missing Ukrainians. In the evening of the same day, the number of Ukrainian citizens with whom contact could not be established increased to 56.
