Nepal begins burials after preserving DNA; only 29 flood victims identified so far

NUWAKOT, NEPAL: Authorities in Nepal began temporarily burying unidentified victims of Bhote Koshi-Trishuli-Naryani flood in shallow graves after collecting DNA and forensic evidence as morgues overflowed and remains recovered far downstream became increasingly difficult to identify.An update issued on Sunday evening said only 29 of the 650-plus bodies had been identified even as recoveries continued along the roughly 200km river system.Nepal Police spokesperson DIG Abi Narayan Kafle told TOI that 211 of the first 669 recovered remains were mutilated, partial or severed. “Many remains were buried under thick mud and water for two to three days,” he said. Bodies swept dozens of km from Rasuwa were recovered in Nuwakot, Chitwan, Gorkha, Tanahun and Nawalparasi, often far from where victims disappeared.Chitwan became the biggest pressure point. By Sunday, 259 bodies had been recovered along Trishuli and Narayani riverbanks there but only nine identified. Authorities began moving unidentified remains to Devghat forest after post-mortem examination and DNA collection, with 26 placed underground in the first batch.The process was designed so burial does not end a family’s search for closure -- every body was assigned an identification number; photographs, physical features, clothes, jewellery and other belongings were recorded, while DNA, fingerprints and other forensic samples were preserved. Burial locations were geo-tagged so remains could later be located and exhumed if relatives established identity.“If family members come forward in the future to claim a missing relative, these scientific and legal records will allow us to confirm identity and locate the exact burial plot,” Kafle said.Gorkha district also buried 29 unidentified bodies and body parts after collecting DNA. “Gorkha does not have sufficient mortuary facilities, and bodies are being recovered every day,” chief district officer Tulsi Prasad Shrestha said. Nawalparasi East began a similar process on Sunday, placing 20 unidentified remains underground after forensic sampling and assigning identification numbers.For families, identification increasingly depended on small personal details. More than 1,000 relatives reached Pokhara on Saturday to examine photographs of 102 bodies brought from downstream districts. Police said families recognised loved ones through tattoos, necklaces, earrings and even school uniforms.One father from Bidur identified his five-year-old son, whose body had been recovered far downstream in Nawalparasi, after seeing a photograph online. The clues were the child’s school tie, necklace and earring.“Where faces are no longer recognisable, relatives are identifying bodies through other things on their person,” police inspector Deepak Rijal said. “More relatives are continuing to arrive.”Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.