Number of Ukrainians missing in Nepal floods rises to 64, Foreign Ministry says

These figures, as of 10:30 a.m. Kyiv time on Saturday, were reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, according to Ukrinform.

The ministry noted that the Consular Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is maintaining constant contact with the families, while the Ukrainian embassies in India and China, as well as the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Nepal, are in round-the-clock contact with local authorities, search and rescue teams, tour operators, and foreign partners. A group of consular officials from the Ukrainian Embassy in India is currently in Nepal.

Search and rescue operations are conducted daily starting early in the morning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added. The use of aircraft is hampered by fog and is only possible during the first half of the day. On the Chinese side, professional fire and rescue teams have reached the hardest-hit central section of the Zhirong border crossing directly. In total, more than 2,000 people and over 300 pieces of equipment have been deployed, and the situation is being coordinated by senior Chinese leadership.

The situation remains challenging due to the scale of the destruction and the risk of further landslides.

At the initiative of the Ukrainian Embassy in India, requests were sent via Interpol through the relevant Nepalese authorities to the company operating the geolocation devices that some Ukrainian citizens were carrying. Data on the last recorded coordinates prior to the disaster has been received. The company continues to attempt to determine the current location of the devices to assist in the search efforts.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Consular Service, and the Ukrainian embassies in India and China continue to monitor the situation and are keeping the case of the 64 missing Ukrainian citizens under special scrutiny.

As reported by Ukrinform, 62 Ukrainian citizens were previously considered missing in Nepal.