Nepal to preserve DNA of unidentified flood victims before burying them: Prime Minister

Authorities said some bodies being recovered have decomposed beyond recognition.

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KATHMANDU: Nepal will preserve DNA and other identifying information from victims whose bodies cannot be identified, before their remains are handled by the state, said Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Saturday (Aug 29).

The assurance came as the death toll from the Nepal-Tibet disaster rose to more than 680. 

Nearly 3,000 people remain missing, including about 2,426 in Nepal and 546 in Tibet's Gyirong County, among them at least 540 foreign nationals.

Triggered by a glacier collapse, a deadly, tsunami-like wall of water and debris swept through the Himalayan region, engulfing entire villages.

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Authorities said some bodies being recovered have decomposed beyond recognition. They will be buried after legal formalities because of health risks and a fear of disease outbreaks.

In a social media update on rescue and relief operations, Mr Shah said that bodies that could not be immediately identified would be handled in accordance with government guidelines for unidentified and unclaimed remains.

But DNA samples and other information that could help establish their identities would first be preserved, he said.

Bodies that have been identified by their families are being handed over to them.

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