The number of people killed as a result of the catastrophic floods in Nepal and Tibet has exceeded one thousand, while about 4,500 more are considered missing. Among those whose whereabouts have still not been established are 56 Ukrainian citizens, UNN reports, citing Reuters, The Guardian and Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Amid the large number of unidentified victims, Nepal’s police are asking relatives of missing people to provide blood samples for DNA identification, as well as photographs. The search-and-rescue operation is continuing nearly a week later.
Details
According to the latest data from the Nepalese authorities, the death toll in the country has risen to 1,050. At least 16 more deaths have been confirmed in Tibet. The total number of confirmed victims of the natural disaster is at least 1,066 people. At the same time, the final scale of the tragedy cannot yet be determined. Thousands of people remain on missing-person lists, including local residents, hydroelectric power plant workers and hundreds of foreign tourists.
Rescue services continue to work in the areas worst affected by the torrent of water, ice, rocks and mud. The disaster destroyed roads and bridges, damaged energy infrastructure and effectively cut off some settlements from the outside world.
Hydropower facilities that were in the path of the disaster remain a separate problem. Rescuers are inspecting tunnels and other underground structures at hydroelectric power stations, where hundreds of workers may have been at the time of the disaster. Access to some tunnels is complicated by water, mud and debris. Drones and specialized equipment are being used to search for people. Foreign rescue and expert teams have also joined the operation.
Relatives of missing people asked to provide DNA
Due to the scale of the disaster and the condition of some of the bodies found, it is impossible to identify all the victims visually. In this regard, Nepal’s police appealed to relatives of missing people, asking them to provide blood samples to create DNA profiles, as well as photographs of the people being sought. The genetic data obtained will be compared with samples taken from unidentified victims.
Relatives who are outside Nepal are allowed to undergo the necessary analysis at an appropriate laboratory in their country and provide the results to Nepalese law enforcement agencies.
The need for DNA identification has become particularly urgent because of the large number of bodies found and the overloading of local morgues. Some unidentified victims have already had to be temporarily buried after forensic procedures were carried out, biological samples were collected and the data necessary for possible subsequent identification was recorded.
What is known about Ukrainians in Nepal
The situation remains particularly urgent for Ukraine because of the fate of 56 citizens whose whereabouts could not be established after the disaster.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of August 31, the people in question belong to two tourist groups. One consisted of 48 Ukrainians, and the other of seven. In addition, another Ukrainian citizen who was traveling as part of an international tourist group is being sought.
At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that no Ukrainians were included on the confirmed lists of those killed or injured. A lack of communication in itself does not mean that people have been affected: roads, power supply systems and communications networks have been seriously damaged in the disaster areas.
Ukrainian diplomats are currently working to establish the whereabouts of the citizens together with local authorities and the services involved in the search-and-rescue operation. The situation is complicated by the fact that some tourist routes passed through remote mountainous areas. Because of the destruction of infrastructure, rescuers can reach some locations only with the help of specialized equipment or aircraft.
What caused the disaster
The devastating flood occurred on August 26 in the Himalayas near the border between Nepal and Tibet.
According to experts' preliminary conclusions, the disaster was caused by a massive collapse of ice and rock. A huge mass of ice, rock and water rapidly surged down the mountain valleys and entered the river system. The flow turned into a powerful mixture of water, mud and debris that swept away structures and infrastructure along its path.
Initially, seismic instruments recorded a signal that could have resembled an earthquake. However, experts later concluded that the tremors were likely caused by the massive collapse itself, rather than by an earthquake that triggered it. Populated areas, roads, bridges, tourist infrastructure and energy facilities on both sides of the Nepal–Tibet border were affected.
Extent of the destruction
According to preliminary estimates, the flood left behind approximately 2.2 million tonnes of rock, debris and other sediment. Nepal's energy sector suffered significant damage. The disaster affected a number of hydropower plants and projects under construction. Overall, the damage may have affected around 10% of the country's generating capacity.
Dozens of bridges, residential buildings, schools, medical facilities and other infrastructure facilities were also destroyed or damaged.
In the worst-affected areas, the restoration of roads and electricity supplies is continuing in parallel with the search operation. Rescuers continue to inspect the debris, riverbanks and downstream areas where people may have been carried away.
Because thousands of people are still considered missing, the number of confirmed victims may change as search operations and the identification of recovered bodies continue.
Context
The disaster has once again drawn attention to the risks associated with the condition of glaciers in the Himalayas. Scientists warn that rising temperatures are contributing to ice melt, the degradation of permafrost and the instability of mountain slopes.
For Nepal, where a significant portion of the population and critical infrastructure is located in narrow mountain valleys, such events pose a particular danger. The current flood has already become one of the region's largest natural disasters in terms of the number of people killed and missing.
Recall
In Nepal, after the flood, 24 bodies were found in one house, including a child among the victims