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's press service reported in information updated as of 10:30 on August 28, UNN reports.
Details
"The number of Ukrainian citizens being searched for in the disaster zone has increased from 56 to 64," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Foreign Ministry's Consular Service Department, as stated, maintains constant contact with relatives, while the embassies of Ukraine in India and the PRC and Ukraine's honorary consul in Nepal remain in round-the-clock contact with local authorities, search-and-rescue services, tour operators, and foreign partners. A group of consular officers from the Embassy of Ukraine in India is located directly in Nepal. "There is currently no information indicating that Ukrainian citizens are among those affected or killed," the Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry noted that search-and-rescue operations are conducted 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 breach of a landslide-dammed lake in Tibet; however, after a gradual, controlled outflow of water was recorded, the search resumed on the water, on land, and from the air.
On the Chinese side, professional firefighting and rescue teams reached the most severely affected central part of the Chzhiron checkpoint directly. 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 the Embassy of Ukraine in India, requests were sent via Interpol, through the competent authorities of Nepal, to the company operating devices with geolocation capabilities that some Ukrainian citizens had with them. Data were received on the last coordinates recorded before the natural disaster struck. The company continues attempts to establish the devices' current locations to assist the search.
The Foreign Ministry, the Consular Service Department, and the embassies of Ukraine 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 contacted.
The missing persons may include a Ukrainian group that traveled to Nepal and Tibet for a retreat led by Iryna Blonska, who appears on the list of missing persons published by Nepal's Department of Tourism.
It should be noted that the announcement of Blonska's retreat in Nepal has disappeared from her social media, although her Telegram channel previously announced that a spiritual journey along the Nepal–Tibet–Kailash route would take place from August 11 to 26.
The program included stays for participants in Kathmandu, Lhasa, and Shigatse, a trip to the area at the foot of Everest, and a stay near Lake Manasarovar. The final stage was to be the kora—a traditional circumambulation of Mount Kailash.
According to social media posts, Blonska is a facilitator of constellation work and spiritual development programs who has continued working with Ukrainian and Russian audiences in parallel all these years.
For example, until this year she worked in russia in person. In particular, in 2025 she traveled to moscow and rostov. This year, she has mainly been forming 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 working for russia online—being paid in 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 led by the current head of the executive committee of one of Russia’s active pro-government movements," the social media posts say.
We remind you
The death toll from the catastrophic flooding in Nepal and Tibet has risen to 616, while the search for survivors continues for a fourth day.