Kathmandu, Aug 31: The struggle to identify victims of Nepal’s devastating floods has taken a complex turn, with three families initially claiming the same unidentified body at a hospital in Pokhara, prompting authorities to rely on DNA testing to establish the victim’s identity.
The disputed Body No. 1003, kept at Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences, was claimed by the families of Gopal Dahit, a hydropower worker from Bardiya, and Damodar Basyal, a tourist guide from Rupandehi. A third family had also initially made a claim.
The two families continuing to dispute the identity have agreed to undergo DNA testing, while police have collected samples from relatives of five families involved in disputed identification cases.
“The dispute over Body No. 1003 has now been referred for DNA testing,” reports said.
The August 26 floods have left hundreds dead and thousands missing, with bodies being recovered far downstream from the places where people disappeared.
By Monday, 102 bodies recovered from Gorkha, Tanahun, Dhading and Nawalparasi East had been brought to Pokhara. Of these, 16 had been identified and handed over to relatives, while 87 had undergone postmortem examinations.
The large number of cases has put forensic facilities under considerable pressure. DNA matching could take one to one-and-a-half months, according to reports, as samples are being processed by the Nepal Police Laboratory and the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology laboratory.
Families have been relying on photographs and distinctive physical features to identify their loved ones, including facial structure, teeth, ears, lips, hands and other identifying marks.
In some cases, personal belongings have provided crucial clues. Five-year-old Prince Tamang was identified through his school tie, necklace and earring after photographs of recovered bodies were examined. His body was recovered from the Narayani River in Nawalparasi, far downstream from where he disappeared after the Trishuli River flooded.
In another case, Satya Krishna Prajapati identified his elder brother, Satya Sundar Prajapati, through a tattoo on his shoulder. The latter had been working as a site engineer at the under-construction Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project in Rasuwa.
The identification challenge is not limited to Pokhara. At Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, 94 bodies had reportedly been brought in, but only nine had been identified and handed over to their families. Forty-eight had undergone autopsies, while 37 were awaiting examination.
Chitwan has also witnessed a similar situation, with authorities reportedly recovering 272 bodies, of which only 12 had been identified. As many as 199 unidentified bodies were buried after DNA samples and other identifying information were preserved.
The cases have left families searching for missing relatives dependent on small clues such as photographs, jewellery, tattoos and clothing.
“Three families initially claimed the same flood victim’s body at a hospital in Pokhara,” reports said, underscoring the growing difficulty of identification as bodies surface far from the locations where people went missing.
Where such clues are inconclusive, families now face a painful wait for forensic confirmation.
“Where those clues are not enough, they must wait for forensic evidence to confirm the identity of their loved ones,” reports said.
