CHITWAN, Aug 30: Families will not be allowed to take away bodies that have already been buried in Chitwan, even if the bodies have been visually identified. The District Police Office, Chitwan, said the bodies will be handed over only after DNA testing confirms their identities.
A total of 260 bodies washed downstream to Chitwan through the Trishuli and Narayani rivers following the Bhotekoshi flood. Around 100 of them have already been buried.
Nine bodies recovered in the district have so far been identified. Police said bodies that have not been buried can be handed over to families after identification, but buried bodies require DNA confirmation. One family that identified a buried body recently had to return without receiving it.
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Police said Nepal’s main DNA testing facility is the Nepal Police Forensic Laboratory. With a large number of samples now requiring testing, officials estimate that processing all samples using existing capacity could take up to two years.
The government is reportedly considering bringing technical experts from abroad or sending samples to India to speed up the process. Police said testing could potentially be completed within two months if samples are sent to India or a South Korean team is brought to Nepal.
DNA samples from flood and landslide victims are currently being collected at Bharatpur Hospital. Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Bishwabandhu Bagale said collecting a sample from a single body takes around 10 to 30 minutes.
He said DNA testing is an expensive and complex process that cannot be carried out by general hospitals, while Nepal currently lacks sufficient trained personnel for large-scale testing.
Police began burying bodies from Tuesday after it became increasingly difficult to manage the growing number of bodies in Chitwan. Relatives of people missing in the floods have also been arriving in the district in increasing numbers, while bodies continue to be recovered along the Trishuli and Narayani rivers.
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