Kathmandu: Nepal has begun preparations to bury unidentified and unclaimed bodies recovered from this week’s devastating flash floods, as authorities face deteriorating remains and growing concerns over hygiene and public health.
More than 700 bodies have been recovered since torrents of water, mud and debris swept through several parts of the country on Wednesday. Chitwan, located in southern Nepal along the Indian border, has reported the highest number of recoveries, with 233 bodies found so far.
The large number of casualties has overwhelmed available facilities, forcing authorities to look for an alternative arrangement for storing the remains.
Decomposing bodies create health concerns
Officials in Chitwan said hospitals and temporary facilities were running short of space to preserve the bodies.
Authorities had reportedly converted a building into a temporary cooling facility, but the available space was eventually exhausted. With decomposition progressing and a strong odour developing, health experts warned that prolonged storage could create additional health risks.
The district administration subsequently decided to proceed with burials while ensuring that families would still have a way to identify and recover their missing relatives later.
DNA samples collected before burial
Authorities are collecting DNA samples from every unidentified body before burial.
Each body is being assigned a unique identification or reference number, along with details of where it was recovered. The system is intended to allow authorities to locate an individual body even after burial if a relative is subsequently identified through DNA matching.
By Saturday afternoon, officials said DNA profiling had been completed for more than 100 bodies, which were then ready for burial.
Burial sites designed for future recovery
Authorities are taking additional measures to ensure that the bodies can be exhumed without difficulty if identification is established later.
Burial pits are being dug approximately 1.5 metres deep, with around 40 centimetres of space between individual bodies.
The remains are being placed in bags marked with their identification numbers. Officials are also constructing concrete platforms and signboards at burial locations displaying the corresponding numbers.
The burial process is expected to be documented through photographs and video, while the locations will also be geo-tagged to create a permanent record.
How families can identify missing relatives
Relatives searching for missing family members will be able to provide DNA samples at designated hospitals across Nepal.
Once the samples are processed, the health authorities will compare them with DNA collected from unidentified bodies. If a match is established, officials can use the body’s unique identification number to access police records and determine exactly where the remains were buried.
Authorities can then arrange for the body to be exhumed and handed over to the family for final rites.
Police publish details of unidentified bodies
Nepal Police have also uploaded information concerning unidentified and unclaimed bodies on a dedicated website to help families searching for missing relatives.
The process has become particularly important as the number of people still unaccounted for remains extremely high.
Officials estimate that more than 2,500 people, including hundreds of foreign nationals, are still missing following the devastating floods.
The DNA-based identification system is expected to provide families with a means of locating their loved ones even after the unidentified remains have been buried.
