Nepal has begun DNA testing to identify unrecognisable bodies following a natural disaster. The whereabouts of 56 Ukrainian citizens remain unknown.
The Embassy of Ukraine in India reported this.
"On 31 August 2026, information was received from Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding DNA testing to identify unrecognisable bodies, which also applies to foreign nationals. Closest first-degree relatives of a missing person – father, mother, son or daughter – are invited to provide a fresh blood sample for DNA profiling," the statement said.
If the relative is in Nepal, the sample can be provided at the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu or at the nearest district police station. You must bring two passport-sized photographs.
Read alsoNatural Disaster in Nepal: What Is Known About the Fate of 57 Ukrainians?
Relatives who are outside Nepal can undergo DNA profiling in their country of residence and send an electronic copy of the DNA profile to the official email address of the Nepal Police for further comparison with profiles obtained from unrecognisable bodies.
As of the morning of 31 August, search-and-rescue operations for Ukrainians who lost contact after the natural disaster are continuing. The search is being conducted on land, on water and with the help of heavy drones.
The work is being hampered by large volumes of silt and damage to infrastructure. According to Chinese state media, the landslide lake that formed after the river channel was blocked has drained naturally and has effectively disappeared.
The Embassy of Ukraine is coordinating actions with Nepal’s competent authorities, including on information about rescued people and bodies that have been found.
Representatives of the diplomatic mission, together with Ukraine’s Honorary Consul in Nepal, are visiting hospitals and morgues in the search for missing Ukrainians.
On 30 August, the first bodies of those killed were found in northern regions of India, which may be linked to the natural disaster in the area of the Nepal–China border.
The Ukrainian embassy has appealed to the Indian authorities to carry out search measures and to promptly inform Ukraine about any bodies found, personal belongings or other objects that could help establish the whereabouts of Ukrainians and identify them.
According to updated data received from Nepal’s competent authorities and travel companies, 56 Ukrainian citizens are currently considered to be of unknown whereabouts.
- As of Monday morning, the death toll from flooding in Nepal and Tibet had exceeded 900. 903 people have died, and 4,247 are considered missing.
- Among the missing are 933 employees of hydropower facilities. On the Chinese side, the authorities reported 16 deaths in Gyirong County and 546 missing.
- Early in the morning on 26 August, flooding began in Rasuwa, north of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu. It is believed to have been caused by snowmelt on the Bhote Koshi River.