Nepal floods: Indian team starts DNA analysis, drones deployed as teams tackle tunnel challenge - what we know

NEW DELHI: A forensic team from India has begun analysing DNA samples in Nepal, as rescue teams continue the search for people missing after catastrophic flash floods swept through the Himalayan region on August 26.In an X post, India In Nepal wrote, "The 19-member Indian Forensic Team began DNA sample analysis in collaboration with their Nepali counterparts at the Nepal Police Central Forensic Science Laboratory and the National Forensic Science Laboratory, Khumaltar, Kathmandu."The Embassy of India said the team was working to expedite DNA sample processing to help identify people affected by the floods. The effort comes as authorities deal with a large number of recovered bodies and thousands of people still unaccounted for.Death toll stands at 1,050The death toll from devastating flash floods in Nepal rose to 1,050 on Tuesday, with security forces recovering more bodies from eight districts, news agency PTI reported.Nearly 4,000 people, including 583 foreigners and 83 security personnel, remain missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). Around 12,000 people have been rescued so far.Mass burials were also performed for unidentified flood victims in Kathmandu.Drones search for workers trapped undergroundMeanwhile, drone pilot Manish Maharjan has been helping Nepal Army rescue teams search for missing people, including workers believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels buried under mud and debris.At least 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects, with around 500 believed to be trapped inside tunnels, AP reported. Maharjan told AP that thermal drones had been deployed in the search, but many tunnels were completely filled with mud, making it difficult to detect signs of life.“We found tunnels were filled with mud like toothpaste in a tube,” Maharjan said. “There was no hollow or empty space inside.”Maharjan said operating drones inside tunnels was possible only where passages were long and straight. Bends, turns and zigzags made it difficult to navigate and search effectively.With rescue teams still struggling to reach isolated areas, authorities fear the death toll could rise further as search operations continue across the disaster-hit region.MEA updates on Indians rescuedMEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday shared an update on India’s rescue and relief efforts in Nepal, saying 163 Indian nationals have been rescued so far.Jaiswal also said 151 people left China today, as efforts continue to assist those affected by the devastating floods in the region.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.