Nepal Floods: 897 Bodies Buried, Over 1,000 Unidentified, and More Than 5,000 Still Missing
Nepal Army personnel assist with the management of bodies. Photo: Nepal Army
Authorities have buried 897 bodies recovered from devastating floods in Nepal, while more than 1,000 bodies and human remains remain unidentified, officials said Thursday. Nepal Police said the recovered remains included 416 men, 248 women, 34 boys and 44 girls, in addition to 510 partial body parts.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, under the Home Ministry, said that 1,259 people had died in the disaster and 5,083 remained missing. A total of 12,038 people had been rescued alive from the affected areas, according to the authority’s latest update issued Thursday evening.
Only 95 of the recovered bodies have so far been identified and handed over to their relatives.
Chitwan district recorded the highest number of recovered bodies, with 355. Authorities also reported 218 bodies in Nawalparasi East, 212 in Nawalparasi West, 177 in Nuwakot, 127 in Rasuwa, 72 in Gorkha, 60 in Dhading and 38 in Tanahun.
Officials said many of the bodies found in those districts had been swept downstream from other flood-affected areas.
At least 5,384 injured people are receiving medical treatment. Of those, 3,206 are being treated by the Nepal Army, 1,874 by the Armed Police Force and 304 at local hospitals.
Nepal Police Seeks DNA Samples
As authorities work to identify the dead and locate the missing, Nepal Police has asked first-degree relatives of missing people to provide DNA samples for comparison with recovered bodies and human remains.
In a public notice issued following the Bhote Koshi River flood in Rasuwa on Aug. 26, Nepal Police said DNA testing was being facilitated to identify recovered bodies or body parts belonging to missing Nepali and foreign nationals.
Police requested that a father, mother, son or daughter of a missing person in Nepal provide a fresh blood sample and two passport-size photographs. Relatives may submit the samples at the Pathology Laboratory of Nepal Police Hospital in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, or at the nearest district police office.
The notice asks relatives living abroad to undergo Autosomal STR DNA profiling at an authorized laboratory in their country of residence. They should send a soft copy of the DNA profile to Nepal Police at [email protected] for comparison, police said.
Police said relatives should provide the missing person’s full name and nationality, passport or other identity details, the date and place of disappearance, if known, the DNA profiling report from the authorized forensic laboratory, and information about the relationship between the DNA donor and the missing person.
Nepal Police has collected 1,794 DNA samples so far, including 1,143 from bodies and recovered human remains and 651 from relatives. Officials said the samples are being used to identify the dead and match remains with people reported missing.
Police also said 601 foreign nationals remained missing. Authorities are coordinating with diplomatic missions and rescue teams to search for them and continue relief operations in affected areas.
Thousands Involved in Rescue Operations
A total of 21,402 security personnel have been deployed in disaster-affected areas. The force includes 9,287 Nepal Army personnel, 7,912 Nepal Police officers and 4,203 members of the Armed Police Force.
The Nepal Army has rescued 4,126 people, including 3,653 Nepali citizens and 273 foreign nationals by air, as well as 200 people by road. Nepal Police has rescued 3,988 people, while the Armed Police Force has rescued 3,924.
Nepal Army helicopters have made 785 flights for rescue and monitoring operations. Private helicopters operating from Kathmandu have made an additional 129 flights.
Authorities said 3,844 displaced people were being housed at holding centers in Nuwakot, Rasuwa and Dhading.
More than 80 trucks and pickup vehicles carrying relief supplies have been sent by road to affected areas. Food and other essential supplies are also being transported by air.
Nepal Telecom said all 110 of its damaged telecommunications towers had been restored. Of Ncell’s 78 damaged towers, 75 had resumed operations, helping restore communications in the disaster-hit areas.