India and Nepal launch DNA profiling to identify flood victims

Authorities in India and Nepal have launched coordinated DNA profiling efforts to identify individuals missing following devastating floods in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers.

In India, the Ministry of Home Affairs is providing services through Central and State Forensic Science Laboratories, as well as NABL-accredited labs, to collect biological samples from first-degree relatives of the missing. This initiative aims to match DNA profiles with unidentified bodies recovered in Nepal. In Bengaluru, Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital has been designated as a nodal center for collecting DNA samples from Karnataka families to facilitate identification and repatriation.

In Nepal, the police have established a collection center in Bidur to assist families in Nuwakot and Rasuwa, reducing the need to travel to Kathmandu. According to the Nepal Police, 2,564 applications have been received regarding missing persons, with 192 bodies recovered so far. Only 18 of these recovered bodies have been identified to date.