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56 Ukrainians Still Missing in Nepal After Flood as Search and Identification Efforts Continue
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The fate of 56 Ukrainian citizens missing after the devastating floods in Nepal remains unknown, even after the government formally ended its 40-day active search-and-rescue operation, Suspilne reported on October 6.
“Unfortunately, despite weeks of efforts by diplomats, consuls, and rescuers, they have still not been found among either the dead or the injured,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stated.
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“The Nepalese government’s announcement that the 40-day active search-and-rescue operation has ended does not mean that the search or efforts to establish the circumstances of people’s disappearances have stopped. Rescue services continue searching for and identifying remains,” the ministry continued.
According to data the ministry provided to Suspilne, 5,285 people are currently listed as missing in Nepal, including 261 foreign tourists. Of those, 56 are Ukrainian citizens.
Suspilne reported that the Ukrainian Embassy in India contacted Nepalese authorities again after the country began legally recognizing some missing people as deceased. Diplomats requested clarification on how deaths are officially documented when remains cannot be located or identified.
“The National Police of Ukraine continues the pretrial investigation and is completing the formation of a database of relatives’ DNA profiles for subsequent transfer to the foreign side,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry told Suspilne. “The case remains under special supervision of the Foreign Ministry, the Consular Service Department, and Ukraine’s embassies in India and China.”
Suspilne noted that Nepal formally ended the active search-and-rescue operation on October 5. Authorities reported that at least 1,455 people had died, while 13,795 people were rescued.
When the floods first struck Nepal in late August, Ukrainian authorities initially lost contact with an organized tour group of 46 citizens. The number of Ukrainians reported missing later rose to 53 as additional relatives contacted the Foreign Ministry’s emergency hotline.
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