Over a week after a glacial collapse near Langtang Lirung mountain triggered catastrophic floods in Nepal and Tibet, unleashing torrents of rocks, mud and water through valleys below, forensic specialists are racing to identify recovered bodies.
Authorities report more than 1,270 confirmed deaths with over 4,700 individuals still unaccounted for as of Thursday. Early Friday reports indicated that two workers trapped within tunnels at hydroelectric projects along the affected rivers had been rescued.
To address the overwhelming demand for identification, officials are deploying DNA testing capabilities as morgue facilities reach capacity. Police are urging immediate family members—parents, sons, or daughters—of missing individuals to provide blood samples for genetic profiling.
For international missing persons, first-degree relatives residing abroad can also undergo DNA profiling in their home countries and transmit results electronically to Nepal Police for cross-reference analysis. Hundreds of genetic samples have already been collected from families.
These specimens are being forwarded to the Nepal Police Forensic Science Laboratory and the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology for processing.
Why is DNA testing needed?
Forensic teams operating in Kathmandu’s capital face significant obstacles in identifying remains, with many bodies arriving in advanced stages of decomposition, according to Al Jazeera’s Jessica Washington, reporting from a DNA testing facility in the city.
“Ground-level forensic teams have noted that certain identifiers such as tattoos and jewellery can assist in recognition, however numerous remains are in conditions that severely impede visual identification,” Washington reported.
Decomposition represents the critical factor driving DNA analysis necessity: severely damaged bodies frequently become unidentifiable through visual examination, particularly following extended water immersion.
Genetic material can be isolated from blood, soft tissue, bone and dental structures. According to Kerstin Montelius, a molecular biologist with Sweden’s National Board of Forensic Medicine, genetic material remains extractable from skeletal remains even when most soft tissue has deteriorated.
“Visual recognition becomes impossible during early identification stages, leading to potential misidentification,” Montelius explained to Al Jazeera. However, she noted that “genetic material itself degrades over time, so environmental conditions heavily influence the identification approach.”
How does DNA testing work?
The international standard for managing and identifying casualties from mass disasters is Interpol’s Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) framework.
DNA molecules encode the essential information required for all living human cells to function, and with the exception of identical twins who share nearly identical genetic profiles, each individual’s DNA is singular. This uniqueness enables DNA analysis to serve as a definitive tool for identifying disaster victims and locating missing persons.
As part of the DVI protocol, specialized examiners analyse human remains to extract maximum biometric information available.
“Three principal identification methods have demonstrated independent reliability with high probability scores in the recognition process: DNA comparison, fingerprint analysis and dental examination,” Montelius stated, noting that the approach selected depends on specific circumstances.
When direct genetic material from a missing person is available—for instance, from personal items like toothbrushes or hairbrushes—the unidentified body’s DNA profile is cross-referenced against the missing individual’s sample to determine potential matches.
However, Montelius noted that occasionally “victim fingerprints may be entirely absent, or dental records prove difficult to locate through dental practitioners.”
In such scenarios, genetic profiles can alternatively be obtained from victims’ family members, which is being accomplished in Nepal through blood sample collection.
Following data collection, specialist teams analyse and correlate both datasets—from family members and from recovered remains—to establish positive identifications.
Specialized software systems facilitate this comparison process, generating potential matches for expert verification, Montelius explained.
Positive identification requires complete correspondence between both datasets.
Are other countries helping?
India has deployed a 19-member forensic team conducting DNA sample analysis alongside Nepali specialists at the Nepal Police Central Forensic Science Laboratory and the National Forensic Science Laboratory, according to the Indian embassy in Kathmandu.
“The team is working to expedite the processing of DNA samples in Nepal for the identification of those affected by the recent flash floods,” the embassy stated.
China has also dispatched an additional team of DNA identification specialists, along with a third shipment of emergency relief supplies, as reported Thursday by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
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