Nepal to preserve DNA of unidentified flood victims before burying them: PM Balen Shah (Image credit: AP)
Nepal will preserve DNA samples and other identifying information from victims whose bodies cannot be identified before their remains are buried, Prime Minister Balendra Shah said on Saturday, as authorities continued searching for nearly 3,000 people missing after a devastating flood in the Himalayan region. The death toll from the Nepal-Tibet disaster has crossed 680, with at least 669 people killed in Nepal and seven in China’s Tibet, according to authorities cited in the background report.
In a social media update on rescue and relief operations, Shah said bodies that could not be immediately identified would be handled according to government guidelines for unidentified and unclaimed remains. However, DNA samples and other information that could help establish the victims’ identities would be preserved before burial, he said.
Malaysia’s foreign ministry said search, rescue and verification efforts were continuing, while India’s Ministry of External Affairs said 275 Indian nationals remained missing. Because of health risks and concerns over possible disease outbreaks, they are expected to be buried after legal formalities.
Authorities said some recovered bodies had decomposed beyond recognition. “DNA samples will be collected, and the bodies will be buried in an open space,” the Chitwan district administration said in a notice. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said the country needed technical support to rescue people trapped in tunnels, restore transport and communications infrastructure, identify bodies, conduct DNA testing and preserve remains for longer periods.