After the deluge, a daunting forensic mission: Indian team begins DNA analysis to identify Nepal flood victims
Of the 1,068 bodies recovered so far, only around 60 have been handed over to relatives after identification
An Indian forensic team is supporting Nepal in identifying victims of recent flash floods through DNA analysis. The collaboration aims to provide closure as over 4,000 people remain missing and rescue efforts continue for hydropower workers.
An Indian forensic team is supporting Nepal in identifying victims of recent flash floods through DNA analysis. The collaboration aims to provide closure as over 4,000 people remain missing and rescue efforts continue for hydropower workers.
An Indian forensic team is supporting Nepal in identifying victims of recent flash floods through DNA analysis. The collaboration aims to provide closure as over 4,000 people remain missing and rescue efforts continue for hydropower workers.
A 19-member team of Indian forensic officials has begun analysing DNA samples in collaboration with their Nepali counterparts to identify victims of the recent flash floods.
The team has commenced the analysis at the Nepal Police Central Forensic Science Laboratory and the National Forensic Science Laboratory in the Khumaltar area of the Kathmandu Valley, the Indian Embassy said.
“The deployment of the Indian forensic team is part of ongoing efforts to support Nepal in the aftermath of the recent flash floods, which caused significant loss of life and left several people unaccounted for,” the Embassy said.
According to Nepal Police, 1,068 bodies had been recovered by Tuesday evening, of which 400 consisted only of partial remains, complicating the identification process.
More than 4,000 people, including 583 foreigners, remain missing, raising concerns that the death toll could rise further. Around 12,000 people have been rescued so far.
According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), 321 bodies were recovered in Chitwan district, followed by 216 in Nawalparasi East, 170 in Nawalparasi West, 142 in Nuwakot, 65 in Gorkha, 57 in Dhading, 41 in Rasuwa and 38 in Tanahun.
Of the bodies recovered so far, only around 60 have been handed over to relatives after identification, while nearly 700 have been buried after documentation and preservation of identification records.
At least 683 workers and employees at various hydropower project sites have gone missing following the flash floods, and efforts to trace them are continuing.
Meanwhile, a 24-member Indian tunnel rescue team deployed at hydropower tunnels in Chilime has begun operations to trace the missing workers. The rescue effort remains challenging due to extremely restricted access, limitations on the use of specialised equipment and marshy tunnel floors.
“They used improvised floats to explore deep into the tunnel. The team will continue its work tomorrow to try and rescue any individual who may be trapped inside,” Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava wrote on X.