Search-and-rescue operations continue in Nepal following the natural disaster. Communication is currently unavailable with 64 Ukrainian citizens; however, there are currently no Ukrainians among those killed or injured, the Foreign Ministry press service reported in information updated as of 10:30 on August 28, UNN reports.
Details
"The number of Ukrainian citizens being sought in the disaster zone has increased from 56 to 64," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It should be added that the Foreign Ministry later clarified: 56 Ukrainians are being searched for in Nepal following the flooding.
The Foreign Ministry's Consular Service Department, as stated, maintains constant contact with relatives, while Ukraine's embassies in India and the PRC and Ukraine's honorary consul in Nepal remain in round-the-clock contact with local authorities, search services, tour operators, and foreign partners. A group of consular officials from Ukraine's embassy in India is located directly in Nepal. "There is currently no information about Ukrainian citizens among those affected or killed," the Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry noted that search-and-rescue operations are carried out daily from early morning. The use of aircraft is complicated by fog and is possible only during the first half of the day. On Friday, August 28, rescue operations were temporarily suspended due to the high risk of a glacial lake outburst in Tibet; however, after a gradual, controlled water outflow was recorded, the search resumed on the water, on land, and from the air.
On the Chinese side, professional fire and rescue teams reached the checkpoint "Chzhiron," directly in the hardest-hit central area. More than 2,000 people and over 300 pieces of equipment have been deployed in total, and the situation is being coordinated by the top leadership of the PRC. Road access to the epicenter remains blocked due to extensive damage to the roadway. The situation remains difficult because of the scale of the destruction and the risk of further landslides.
At the initiative of Ukraine's embassy in India, requests were sent through Interpol, via the competent authorities of Nepal, to the company operating geolocation-enabled devices carried by some Ukrainian citizens. Data were obtained on the last coordinates recorded before the disaster struck. The company continues attempting to determine the devices' current location to assist the search.
The Foreign Ministry, the Consular Service Department, and Ukraine's embassies in India and the PRC continue to monitor the situation and keep the case concerning the disappearance of 64 Ukrainian citizens under special control.
Update
On Friday, August 28, Nepal's Department of Tourism published a list of people with whom contact had been lost as of 17:00 on August 28 due to flooding on the Bhotekoshi River. According to the department, 724 people, including 62 Ukrainians, could not be reached.
The missing may include a Ukrainian group that traveled to Nepal and Tibet for a retreat led by Iryna Blonska, who is listed among the missing by Nepal's Department of Tourism.
It should be noted that the announcement of Blonska's retreat in Nepal disappeared from her social media, although her Telegram channel had previously announced that a spiritual journey along the Nepal–Tibet–Kailash route would take place from August 11 to 26.
The program included stays in Kathmandu, Lhasa, and Shigatse, a trip to the area at the foot of Mount Everest, and time near Lake Manasarovar. The final stage was to be the kora—a traditional circumambulation of Mount Kailash.
As noted on social media, Blonska is a family-constellations facilitator and spiritual-development program leader who has all these years worked simultaneously with Ukrainian- and Russian-speaking audiences.
For example, until this year she personally worked in Russia. In particular, in 2025 she traveled to Moscow and Rostov. This year, she has mostly been assembling mixed groups of Ukrainians and Russians for retreats in India and Nepal.
It is claimed that in the Russian Federation she works with people from "United Russia," other government structures, and federal television. She also has joint projects with them. When she is not physically in Russia, she continues to work for Russia online—for rubles through the ".ru" version of the website.
"The money is received and processed through her manager—a Russian national, Natalia Kyselyova. Before working with Blonska, her manager worked on projects of the current head of the executive committee of one of Russia’s active pro-government movements," the social media posts say.
Let us remind you
The death toll from the catastrophic flooding in Nepal and Tibet has risen to 616, and the search for survivors is continuing for a fourth day.