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Nepal: How are the hundreds of victims from the floods being identified?

India is offering DNA profiling for first-degree relatives as Nepal works to identify more than 5,000 people still missing.

  • India opened forensic laboratories and deployed a 19-member forensic team to Nepal to expedite DNA identification of flood victims, addressing the needs of more than 1,270 killed and 4,700 still missing.
  • Glacial collapse near the Langtang Lirung mountain peak triggered devastating flash floods that left morgues overflowing with bodies in states of decomposition, necessitating advanced DNA forensic methods.
  • When visual inspection fails due to decomposition, DNA comparison serves as a primary identification method. "DNA degrades, too, and circumstances set the decisions," said molecular biologist Kerstin Montelius, noting profiles can be generated from bone and tissue.
  • First-Degree relatives in India can submit blood samples at designated Central Forensic Science Laboratories and National Forensic Sciences University facilities, with the Embassy of India in Kathmandu coordinating via helpline +977 9841 6160 95.
  • China has also sent a second contingent of DNA experts and emergency relief supplies to support recovery efforts. While search teams have rescued more than 12,000 people, roughly 5,000 remain missing as operations continue.
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France24 broke the news in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
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