Italian Marco Ratto is missing after the devastating floods that hit Nepal. The man – owner of a goldsmith’s shop in Rapallo – was in the area hit by the disaster, a stop on a journey that began ten days ago. The fifty-year-old goldsmith is well known in the city: his family has owned a historic watch and goldsmith shop in the center of the Ligurian town for generations. Sporty, dynamic, lover of adventure, he had chosen Nepal as one of the destinations of his journey which he had undertaken alone. A trip that he had already postponed once due to a small injury.
Andrea Bernardin, brother-in-law of Marco Ratto, his sister’s husband, recounts the family’s hours of anguish: “We are dismayed and speechless. We are in contact with the Farnesina but at the moment we have no news. Marco was right in that area” he said laconically, his voice betraying the tension of these hours. With him, in his apprehension, also his sister, nephews and Marco’s partner.
The Municipality of Rapallo has also taken action. Mayor Elisabetta Ricci explained that the Farnesina Crisis Unit has confirmed that the Rapallo citizen is among the people about whom information is being sought. “We are very worried”, said the first citizen, explaining that she had activated institutional contacts to follow the evolution of the situation.
Two Italians are missing
Ratto’s position would not be the only Italian position yet to be clarified. The Nepal National Tourism Board has included two Italian citizens in the list of missing tourists. The Farnesina has confirmed that there are three compatriots who are still untraceable. In the affected area, around 90 Italians had registered on the “Where we are in the world” platform. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also arranged for personnel to be sent to Kathmandu from the Italian Embassy in New Delhi to strengthen assistance to compatriots.
The data released by the Nepalese side, informs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are based on information shared by tour operators and may be inaccurate and do not take into account those who have not crossed.
According to the Farnesina, there are 3 specific cases reported of the dozen Italians who were still untraceable this morning.
- Marco Ratto was leaving Nepal towards Tibet: the Chinese travel agency that was supposed to take care of the group confirmed that it had lost contact at the crossing. Information also confirmed by the Nepalese agency directly to the family.
- Then there is an Italian-Swiss couple traveling from Tibet to Nepal. The Farnesina explains that there are no references from the agency and there is still no confirmation that they crossed the border.
The rescue
Among the Italians involved in the disaster there are also Giovanni Fassini, 42 years old, accountant, and Marco Lombardi, 26 years old, pastry chef, both from Brescia. The two were supposed to return to Italy, but they got stuck while trying to reach Kathmandu. They should reach the city today with a flight from Pokhara.
Stafeano Tumolo, the Tuscan photographer who was among the Italian tourists in Nepal, was instead taken to safety in Kathmandu. Reached on the phone by Adnkronos, he commented as follows: “I am saved by divine grace”.
New alarm in Tibet
Chinese authorities have evacuated the inhabitants of several cities in Tibet due to the potential risk of flooding of the lake formed following the flash flood that hit the area. The lake, formed near the confluence of a Nepalese river with another Tibetan waterway, contains about two million cubic meters of water, according to data from the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources broadcast by state television CCTV. The natural reservoir was already overflowing and authorities estimate that another three million cubic meters of water could be added over the next three days, increasing the risk of rupture and a sudden flood.
The lake is expected to reach its maximum level on September 1st. Tibet’s Natural Resources Department said residents of several at-risk downstream communities were safely evacuated. The Ministry of Water Resources has deployed hydrological monitoring teams and is conducting simulations to analyze the potential behavior of water in the event of a levee breach, in order to support emergency operations.
Tajani: “A task force has been activated”
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed the Government’s condolences “to the families of the victims of the floods that hit Nepal and the Tibetan region. Our closeness goes to the authorities and the affected populations”. The deputy prime minister announced on
“I have also arranged for staff from our embassy in New Delhi to be sent to Kathmandu to strengthen the presence on site and assist the Italians. The Farnesina is working to track down compatriots with whom it has not yet been able to establish contact and guarantee them every possible support”, informed Tajani.