An Indian forensic team deployed in Kathmandu after the devastating flash floods in Nepal has been working on around 3,000 DNA samples and has generated more than 1,200 DNA profiles so far, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Tuesday, as authorities continued efforts to trace hundreds of missing people.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had earlier reported 275 of its nationals missing after the floods. Several other people from the Indian diaspora and persons of Indian origin also remained unaccounted for.
“We had given you a figure of 275 people who were missing, Indian nationals. Over and above, there were several other people from the Indian diaspora, persons of Indian origin, who are also missing,” Jaiswal said during his bi-weekly media briefing.
3,000 samples under examination
The Indian forensic team is working alongside Nepalese experts across several laboratories in Kathmandu, helping authorities process DNA samples that could prove crucial in identifying victims and establishing the fate of those still missing.
“We have a forensic team in Nepal which is working in Kathmandu in several laboratories, along with their Nepalese colleagues,” Jaiswal said.
“The Indian team has been working on 3,000 samples, of which it has been able to, so far, arrive at over 1,200 DNA profiles. So the work is going on and on the missing Indian nationals and missing persons, we await to hear from Nepalese authorities,” he added.
DNA profiling is expected to play a key role in the identification process where conventional methods are difficult, particularly following the scale of destruction caused by the floods.
The MEA did not provide an updated figure for the number of missing Indians who had been traced or identified through the DNA exercise, saying New Delhi was awaiting further information from Nepalese authorities.
Floods caused widespread destruction
The flash floods originated near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26 and swept through towns and villages across northern and central Nepal.
The Bhotekoshi river, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried massive volumes of floodwater downstream, damaging settlements and critical infrastructure along its path.
Houses and vehicles were swept away, while roads and bridges were destroyed or severely damaged. Hydropower projects in the affected areas also suffered damage, complicating rescue and recovery operations.
The disaster left authorities with the difficult task of tracing missing residents, foreign nationals and visitors while identifying victims recovered from affected areas.
India subsequently deployed forensic experts to assist Nepal with the identification exercise. The team’s work has focused on developing DNA profiles from the thousands of samples collected following the disaster and assisting Nepalese authorities in matching them with records and samples connected to missing persons.
With more than 1,200 profiles generated from the approximately 3,000 samples being examined, the identification exercise remains underway, while India continues to await confirmation from Nepal on the fate of its missing nationals.