Rescuers in Nepal reach border checkpoint, search continues for missing Latvians
Latvia's Foreign Ministry says rescue teams in Nepal have finally reached a northern border checkpoint and are continuing search efforts, though there is still no new information on the 33 missing Latvian nationals.
Edīte Medne, director of the Foreign Ministry's Consular Department, said in a video posted on "X" on Friday, September 4, that rescue teams in the disaster-affected area of Nepal have finally managed to reach a border checkpoint in the country's north. There is still no new information regarding the 33 missing Latvian citizens, but hope has not been lost — rescuers continue searching the area for so-called air pockets where survivors might be found.
According to information from Latvia's representative in Nepal, more than 20,000 people are currently involved in the rescue operation, meaning additional foreign rescuers are not currently needed. However, specialized equipment for inspecting tunnels is lacking. Medne said the operation continues and there is currently no indication it will be halted anytime soon.
Cooperation with Nepalese authorities
On Thursday, September 3, Latvia's consular representative met with Nepalese police and Interpol officials to agree on faster exchange of information and data. Relatives of all 33 missing Latvian nationals have already provided the necessary DNA samples, which will be sent to Nepal for comparison with samples collected there.
Efforts are also underway to obtain footage from surveillance cameras at the border crossing point. Of 27 cameras, footage is currently available from only two, and even that covers a very short period. State Police continue working to gather further information.
Last known contact
It was previously established that the last known communication with the guide of the largest Latvian tourist group occurred on August 27, when the guide called his brother in Kathmandu from the border point on the Chinese side at around 8:38 a.m.; data available to EU services indicates contact continued until around 8:41 a.m. Latvia's embassy in China is cooperating with Chinese institutions to speed up the gathering of information, with diplomatic missions from several countries coordinating the effort, currently led by the United States.
Medne noted that reports of rescued individuals who, after a long period, managed to contact relatives have come from Australia and Canada. Cooperation is also ongoing with Ukrainian representatives, as Ukraine also has several dozen citizens missing following the disaster.
In Latvia, Rīga Stradiņš University has offered professional psychological support to relatives of the missing. An ecumenical prayer service for the missing and their families is planned for September 7 at 6 p.m., with representatives of Christian denominations present in Latvia taking part.
