As of midday on 27 August, at least 332 people have been killed by flooding and landslides on the border between Nepal and China-controlled Tibet, the BBC reports.
This figure covers casualties on the Nepalese side; the Chinese government has not yet released data on deaths in Tibet.
In Nepal, 910 people are missing and cannot currently be reached. This was reported by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Management Authority.
Among those being sought are 517 foreign nationals. It is also known that 44 Nepal Army personnel and 28 police officers are unaccounted for.
As of 10:30, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has no information indicating that any Ukrainian citizens are among the dead or injured.
Fifty-five Ukrainians remain missing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Consular Service Department, and Ukraine’s embassies in India and China continue to monitor the situation and are keeping the case of the missing Ukrainians under control.
Search-and-rescue operations are ongoing. Access to many disaster-hit areas is hampered by weather conditions. Local authorities warn of the possibility of further flooding and landslides.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Ukraine’s embassies in India and China have published safety guidance on their official platforms. Ukrainian diplomats are in constant contact with the relevant authorities and services conducting search operations, relatives of those missing, and foreign diplomats in the host countries to coordinate international efforts to locate tourist groups.
“Search teams and the official authorities of the countries concerned have received from Ukraine’s diplomatic missions full information on all Ukrainians who cannot be reached. The search continues,” the statement said.
A team of staff from Ukraine’s embassy in India has been dispatched directly to the disaster zone. Ukraine’s honorary consul in Nepal has also been involved.
Yesterday, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that it had been unable to contact 53 Ukrainian tourists.
Seven people were rescued by the Nepal Army in a tunnel at a hydroelectric project in Ghaku, in Rasuwa district. A rescue operation is continuing in three more tunnels.
On the Tibetan side, 558 people are missing, including 260 foreigners. Rescue operations in Tibet are becoming increasingly difficult due to unstable weather conditions and the remoteness of the area, Chinese authorities say.
The landslide that hit Gyirong County in Tibet is almost 1.5 metres deep, and its edge stretches 2.5 km from the border crossing point, which “significantly complicates further rescue work”, state broadcaster CCTV quoted officials as saying.
Meteorological services expect rain to continue for the next three days along the route between the Gyirong border crossing and Dingri Airport, which will hamper rescue efforts.