Kathmandu, Authorities have collected DNA samples from 1,012 relatives of people missing in the Bhotekoshi flood as efforts intensify to identify more than 1,226 unidentified bodies and human remains recovered so far. The large-scale DNA profiling and matching process is being carried out to establish the identities of victims and reunite the remains with their families.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abi Narayan Kafle said experts, equipment and technical support had been brought in from several countries to accelerate the identification process.

More than 1,331 bodies and human remains have been recovered following the devastating Bhotekoshi flood on August 26. While some bodies were recovered intact, around half were found only partially, including individual body parts.

“We are treating the recovered body parts as individual human remains and conducting DNA profiling from them,” Kafle said. “In the case of intact bodies, teeth are collected for DNA testing. If only a leg or another bone is recovered, around four to five centimetres of bone is collected and preserved by forensic doctors.”

The samples are being processed at two laboratories in Kathmandu—the Nepal Police Central Forensic Science Laboratory and the National Forensic Science Laboratory in Khumaltar. Blood samples are also being collected from relatives of missing people, particularly first-degree relatives, for DNA comparison.

Relatives can provide samples at their nearest police office or at the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu.

Kafle said DNA profiling of recovered remains and samples from relatives is being carried out separately. The resulting DNA profiles will then be entered into a software system and scientifically compared to establish possible matches.

Experts and equipment from countries including India, South Korea, Singapore and China have been brought in because Nepal's existing technical and human resources may not be sufficient to handle the unusually large number of samples within a short period.

“DNA profiling and testing are being carried out continuously,” Kafle said, adding that the government and concerned agencies were seeking international support to accelerate the process.

Once a match is established, the remains will be handed over to the concerned families following scientific verification, legal procedures and internationally accepted practices.

Officials said DNA testing had already begun, while the collection of blood samples from relatives is continuing. Each recovered body or human remain is first profiled individually, after which the DNA profile is compared with samples collected from relatives.

The process is expected to take time because of the scale of the disaster. More than 1,300 bodies and remains have been recovered, while search and rescue operations are still continuing.

“Under normal circumstances, DNA testing takes considerable time with the technology available in Nepal. We have even faced backlogs in DNA testing related to criminal investigations,” Kafle said. “Given the exceptional circumstances, the Nepal Government and concerned agencies have sought support from neighbouring and other countries to speed up the process.”

Machines brought from South Korea can reportedly process around 40 to 150 DNA samples per day, depending on the testing procedure and laboratory capacity.

“We are trying to complete the work as soon as possible. If it can be completed within a week, that would be even better,” Kafle said. “We understand the pain of families whose loved ones remain missing and the distress caused by recovered bodies that cannot yet be identified.”

According to SP Rameshwar Adhikari of the Nepal Police Central Forensic Science Laboratory, DNA sample collection from relatives began on August 31.

“Relatives of missing people who are living abroad have also travelled here and provided blood samples,” Adhikari said.

He said blood samples collected from relatives are being sent to forensic laboratories, including the Central Forensic Science Laboratory and the Nepal Army's forensic laboratory, depending on their capacity.

“The laboratories analyse the samples and compare them with DNA obtained from the recovered bodies. Therefore, the time required to produce results depends entirely on the technical process and laboratory capacity,” he said.

Authorities hope the accelerated DNA profiling process will help identify the remaining victims and provide grieving families with the certainty they have been waiting for.