Flood in Nepal: Ukraine's Foreign Ministry searches for 53 missing tourists

Timeline of the emergency

A massive flood that claimed the lives of dozens of people occurred on the morning of August 26 in the Rasuwa district, located north of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. According to preliminary data, the disaster was triggered by an earthquake that caused an avalanche of melting snow to collapse into the Bhote Koshi River. As a result, a powerful mudflow inundated the riverbank areas, as well as tourist facilities and residential buildings that found themselves in the flood zone. Aerial footage of the affected area shows an extensive territory covered with a layer of silt and debris, among which destroyed buildings are visible.

Search for Ukrainian citizens

Georgy Tikhyy, spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told journalists that as a result of the flood, a total of 53 Ukrainian citizens are considered missing. According to him, contact has been lost with a group of 46 tourists. At the same time, as of 21:45, there is no information about Ukrainian citizens among the dead or injured. Ukraine's embassies in India and the People's Republic of China are in contact with the competent authorities of the host countries to coordinate search operations that may establish the whereabouts of Ukrainian citizens.

Embassy and Foreign Ministry response mechanism

By personal order of Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, the embassies in India and China, based on the already known personal data of the missing citizens, are taking measures to establish contact with them and to carry out other necessary actions. Eight messages from relatives about losing contact with individuals from the aforementioned list have been received on the Foreign Ministry's hotline. The ministry, the Consular Service Department, and both embassies are operating in a state of heightened readiness, processing incoming appeals and verifying data with the local authorities of Nepal.

Causes and scale of the disaster

According to preliminary information, the direct cause of the flood was an earthquake that triggered the collapse of an avalanche of melting snow into the bed of the Bhote Koshi River. It is officially reported that at least 98 people have died, and another approximately 400 are missing. The exact figures, according to local authorities' estimates, may be revised as rescue teams advance into the hard-to-reach mountainous areas and the clearing of rubble is completed.

Contradictory data

Discrepancies in key figures are recorded in open sources. First, the initial reports as of the evening of August 26 spoke of the death of "at least 98 people," while a number of international agencies, citing updated data, indicate that the number of victims has exceeded 150. Second, the statements of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry feature two different figures: contact has been lost with a group of 46 tourists, while Nepal's tourist police report 53 missing Ukrainians in total. The difference is probably explained by the fact that the 46 includes one specific tourist group, while 53 is the cumulative figure for all Ukrainian citizens known at this time. Until the search operations are completed, both figures should be considered preliminary.

Separate incident in Japan

Separately from the events in Nepal, a strong earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture in southern Japan on July 28 was previously reported, as a result of which about 50 people were injured. This incident is not related to the flood in Nepal and is cited only as context for seismic activity in the region this year.