1259 Deaths in Nepal Floods, India Begins DNA Identification Preparation

So far, 1259 people have died in the flood caused by the landslide of snow and rocks in the Himalayan region of Nepal on August 26. Thousands have been displaced and there has been heavy economic loss in this disaster. The Indian government has arranged to collect DNA samples from families of missing Indian citizens to prepare profiles for identification.

According to Nepal's disaster management agencies, the flood has most severely affected areas around the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. The strong waves caused heavy damage to settlements, roads, bridges, and power projects. In many places, entire areas were turned into debris and people did not have enough time to reach safe locations.

The initial estimate of economic loss is about 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees, approximately 2.56 billion dollars, which includes damage to houses, roads, electricity, and other basic infrastructure. About 20,000 houses need to be rebuilt due to the disaster, of which 7,500 houses have been completely destroyed.

Identification of unidentified bodies recovered in Nepal has become a major challenge as many bodies were found in poor condition after being in water and debris for a long time. In some cases, only human remains were found, making identification difficult. The administration is securing photographs of the bodies, identification-related information, fingerprints, and DNA samples so that the deceased can be identified scientifically.

The Indian government has taken steps to assist Nepal in this process. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, DNA samples will be collected from first-degree biological relatives such as parents, siblings, and children of missing persons residing in India to prepare profiles. Central and state forensic laboratories, the National Forensic Science University, and NABL-accredited laboratories will be involved in this effort.

These DNA profiles will be used to match with unidentified bodies and human remains found in Nepal. This will help establish identification if the DNA of an unidentified body matches with that of a missing person's family.

India has also continued to provide assistance for relief and rescue operations in Nepal. Two Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft have reached Kathmandu carrying 21.5 tons of relief material, including medical supplies and forensic kits.

Many hydropower projects in Nepal have suffered heavy damage due to the floods. About 900 people are reported missing from six affected hydropower sites. Rescue teams are trying to reach tunnels, but many tunnel entrances are blocked by debris and rocks.

SDPO Sunny Vardhan said, "Upon receiving information, Sadar police took both bodies into custody and sent them to Chatra Sadar Hospital for postmortem."