Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The Nepal flood has created a grim challenge beyond rescue and relief: what to do with hundreds of unidentified bodies. As floodwaters recede, bodies are being recovered from mud, debris and rivers, but many are badly damaged and difficult to identify. With morgues and temporary holding centres running out of space, authorities have started mass burials of unidentified flood victims.
This does not mean the victims are being permanently laid to rest without a chance of identification. Before burial, forensic teams collect DNA samples, photographs and other details, so the remains can be traced and handed over to families later.
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NEPAL FLOOD: WHY ARE BODIES BEING BURIED?
The floods followed a glacier collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border, sending water, mud, rocks and debris through settlements and along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers. Thousands of people went missing, while bodies were carried downstream and recovered from several districts.
The problem was not simply the number of bodies. Many had been in water and mud for days and were decomposing rapidly. Keeping hundreds of remains in already crowded morgues became increasingly difficult and raised public health concerns. Bodies were also moved to facilities in Pokhara, Palpa, Rupandehi and Kapilvastu after local storage capacity was exhausted.
MASS BURIAL DOES NOT MEAN THE CASE IS CLOSED
Authorities in Chitwan selected an open site in Devghat, Bharatpur, for the burial of unidentified and unclaimed remains under Nepal’s 2026 body-management guidelines. The purpose is to preserve the remains in a way that allows identification later.
A 40-member medical team, including seven forensic pathologists and seven dental surgeons, is involved in the identification process. DNA samples have already been collected from bodies at temporary holding centres.
HOW WILL NEPAL IDENTIFY FLOOD VICTIMS LATER?
Before burial, each body receives a permanent reference or tracking number. Authorities record photographs, physical details, clothing, jewellery, identity documents and other belongings. DNA profiles, post-mortem reports, investigation records, burial dates and the exact location of each grave are also documented.
When families report someone missing, their DNA can be compared with the samples preserved from unidentified remains. If a match is established, the authorities can locate the relevant burial site and recover the remains for the family.
So, the Nepal flood mass burial is not being treated as the end of the identification process. It is an emergency measure aimed at managing rapidly decomposing bodies while keeping open the possibility that Nepal flood victims can still be identified and returned to their families.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
