Nepal floods: DNA testing offers last hope to families searching for missing loved ones
Authorities in Nepal are using DNA testing to identify victims of devastating flash floods that killed over 1,300 people and left thousands missing. The process is slow and emotionally taxing for families seeking closure as they search for their loved ones.
Why it matters
Large-scale natural disasters create significant humanitarian and logistical challenges, particularly in identifying victims and supporting grieving families.
When Amrit Diyali saw a human hand washed downstream by floodwaters, he was struck by how closely it resembled his younger brother Raj Kumar's, who has been missing along with his wife and four-year-old son since the devastating floods hit Nepal.
“I found a hand that looks exactly like uncle’s,” Mr. Diyali’s nephew Avinash told him after sending him a photograph of the severed hand, according to The Kathmandu Post newspaper.
For Mr. Diyali, the discovery brought both hope and dread. A DNA test is now his family’s only chance of knowing whether the remains belong to his brother.
The case reflects a much larger challenge facing Nepal, where authorities are relying on DNA testing to identify hundreds of bodies recovered after the August 26 floods and help families find relatives who remain missing.
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