Search-and-rescue operations continue in Nepal following the natural disaster. There is currently no contact with 56 Ukrainian citizens, not 64 as previously reported ; so far, there are no Ukrainians among those killed or injured. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to UNN.
Details
"The number of Ukrainian citizens being sought in the disaster zone remains unchanged: 56 people. The Consular Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains constant contact with their relatives, while the Embassies of Ukraine in India and the PRC, as well as the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Nepal, remain in round-the-clock contact with local authorities, search-and-rescue services, tour operators, and foreign partners. A group of consular officials from the Embassy of Ukraine in India is located directly in Nepal. There is currently no information about Ukrainian citizens among those injured or killed," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
Search-and-rescue operations are conducted every day from early morning. The use of aircraft is complicated by fog and is possible only during the first half of the day. Yesterday, 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 water outflow was recorded, the search resumed on the water, on land, and from the air.
From the Chinese side, professional firefighting and rescue teams reached the most severely affected central part of the Jilong checkpoint directly. In total, more than 2,000 people and over 300 pieces of equipment have been deployed, with the situation being coordinated by the senior leadership of the PRC. Road access to the epicenter remains blocked due to the extensive destruction of the road surface. 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 through Interpol channels, via the competent authorities of Nepal, to the company operating the geolocation-enabled devices carried by some Ukrainian citizens. Data was received on the last recorded coordinates before the natural disaster struck. The company continues trying to establish the devices’ current locations in order to assist the search.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Consular Service Department, and the Embassies of Ukraine in India and the PRC continue to monitor the situation and are keeping the case concerning the disappearance of 56 Ukrainian citizens under special control.
Update
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that there was currently no contact with 64 Ukrainian citizens. However, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified , the figure of 64 Ukrainians was provided by the Nepalese police, and after verification, it was established that a number of citizens on their list had registered for the trip but had not gone. Thus, the figure remains unchanged: 56.