At least 56 Ukrainian citizens are missing in Nepal and Tibet after a minor earthquake triggered catastrophic flash floods and mountain landslides across the border region, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced on August 27.
Search and rescue operations remained underway across the disaster zone as of 10:30 p.m. Kyiv time on August 27. An operational team from the Embassy of Ukraine in India has arrived directly on site, where Ukrainian consuls are maintaining direct contact with local authorities coordinating rescue efforts to locate and evacuate missing nationals.
Foreign ministry officials confirmed that the number of missing Ukrainians increased by one on August 27 after a female citizen traveling within an international tour group lost contact. Verified diplomatic reports indicate that no Ukrainian citizens have been listed among the confirmed dead or injured so far.
The total list of missing Ukrainians consists of two organized tourist groups numbering 47 and seven individuals, alongside the single female national in the international group. Nepalese army and police personnel are actively pursuing search operations using 15 helicopters to navigate hard-to-reach areas.
The Embassy of Ukraine in India, headquartered in New Delhi, handles diplomatic and consular matters for Nepal because Ukraine does not maintain a resident embassy in Kathmandu. Foreign ministry representatives stated that diplomats are keeping the crisis under special supervision while coordinating search and evacuation efforts with other foreign governments whose citizens are affected.
Landslides dam major Himalayan rivers
The disaster began on August 26 when a small earthquake struck the high altitude border region connecting Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The seismic activity provoked massive mountain landslides that swept downhill and choked the channels of three major rivers: the Trishuli, the Bhote Koshi, and the Narayani.
The sudden blockages caused the rivers to burst their banks, sending a violent torrent of water, mud, and boulders crashing into riverside communities. Relief workers cited by the Reuters news agency reported that entire settlements were swept away by the deluge.
On the morning of August 27, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry had initially reported 55 citizens missing, up from 53 recorded the previous day, before updating the figure to 56 during evening briefing updates.
Rising death toll and hundreds of missing foreigners
According to official data released by the Nepal Police on August 27, the natural disaster has claimed at least 389 lives and left 466 people injured across the country. An earlier assessment by local authorities had placed the initial death toll at a minimum of 165 before search teams reached deeper into devastated valleys.
Local authorities reported that more than 1,300 people remain missing across the flood zone. Out of those who cannot be reached, nearly 800 individuals are foreign nationals who were traveling or working in the region when the disaster occurred.
Rescue teams are deploying heavy machinery and excavators in towns such as Trishuli in Nuwakot district to clear mud and rescue trapped residents. Video footage released by the Armed Police Force of Nepal on August 26 showed paramilitary personnel carrying flood survivors to safety across damaged terrain in Rasuwa district.
The Armed Police Force of Nepal operates as a specialized paramilitary security organisation responsible for border management, counter-insurgency, and coordinating large-scale disaster response operations across the country.
Severe weather hinders rescue missions
Search and rescue operations face severe obstacles due to ongoing adverse weather conditions and destroyed road access leading into the disaster areas. Officials from the Ukrainian foreign ministry noted that local competent authorities have warned of potential secondary floods and additional landslides in the coming days.
In Devighat, a town in Nuwakot district, local residents gathered along streets that were completely inundated with mud following the sudden flash flooding. Elsewhere in Nuwakot district, helicopters executed emergency airlifts in Trishuli on August 26 to transport rescued survivors to safe zones.
Drone images taken over Trishuli on August 27 captured houses and personal property completely buried beneath thick mud deposits left behind by the floodwaters. Ukrainian consular officials affirmed that search efforts remain active and that further updates will be released as local authorities provide new information.
