Fate of 56 Ukrainians missing in Nepal remains unknown

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says the fate of 56 Ukrainian citizens missing since catastrophic floods and landslides struck northern Nepal and Tibet on Aug. 26 remains unknown, even though Nepal has formally ended its 40-day active search-and-rescue operation. The overall death toll in Nepal has climbed to 1,455, with 5,285 people still listed as missing; China has confirmed 43 deaths with 519 people, including 261 foreigners, unaccounted for.

Nepalese authorities have begun legal procedures to declare missing people dead, prompting Ukraine's embassy in India to request clarification on how deaths will be documented when remains cannot be recovered. Ukraine's National Police continue a pretrial investigation and are compiling a DNA database from relatives of the missing for submission to foreign authorities.

The disaster was triggered by a glacier collapse near the Nepal-China border that sent rock, ice, mud and debris through Himalayan river valleys, flooding settlements packed with foreign pilgrims and tourists.

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