56 Ukrainians still missing as Nepal ends flash flood search-and-rescue operation
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Fifty-six Ukrainians remain missing after Nepal ended its search-and-rescue operation following August's deadly floods, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on Oct. 6.
Devastating flash floods ravaged Nepal after a glacier collapsed in the Himalayas on Aug. 26, drowning villages in mud and debris. At least 1,455 people were killed in the floods, and over 5,200 people were unaccounted for.
While active rescue operations have been suspended, the search and identification of remains continue, the ministry said.
"Unfortunately, despite weeks of efforts by diplomats, consuls, and rescuers, (the missing Ukrainians) have still not been found among either the dead or the injured," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Out of the missing Ukrainian citizens, 46 were traveling together in a tour group. Contact with the group was lost when the flash flooding began. Rescue efforts have been ongoing for over 40 days, but none of the missing Ukrainians have been identified.
While there have been no official reports of Ukrainians killed, Nepalese officials said they were considering commencing the legal process of declaring missing persons as dead.
"We are initiating due processes to complete required legal formalities," Phanindra Paudel, chief of the National Emergency Operation Centre, told Reuters.
These formalities would allow families of the missing individuals to complete relevant administrative tasks, such as filing life insurance claims, in their home countries.
The Ukrainian embassy in India has contacted relevant authorities concerning procedures for official documentation, the ministry said.
The Ukrainian National Police is also working to finalize a database of DNA profiles of those missing in the floods to share with Nepalese authorities.
