Nepal Floods: Victims cremated with effigies, mass burials begin

A week after devastating floods in Nepal, families performed last rites for victims while authorities conducted mass burials as morgues overflowed. An Indian forensic team is assisting in DNA analysis to identify the deceased amid a rising death toll.

Last rites of floods victims being performed in Nepal (Photo/ANI)

Families performed the cremation of the victims on Wednesday, a week after the devastating flash floods hit Nepal. The families used "kush", a sacred grass, to make the effigy. Additionally, the Nepal Police and rescue team carried the bodies from Dhunche for burial beside a river on the outskirts of Kathmandu, as some bodies could not be identified.

Earlier on Tuesday, mass burial began in the capital, Kathmandu, as well, after the morgue ran out of space after one week of the devastating flood in Nepal. Security forces donned in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) carried the body bags and buried them in the Gorkarna forest area on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Amid the rainfall, the security personnel walking through the muddy forest carried the bodies and buried them with markers on top. The big bags contained the tags through which the bodies would be later exhumed and handed over to families after establishing the identities. DNA of the buried bodies has already been kept for cross-matching with the family.

Crisis Mounts as Morgues Overflow Nationwide

As the bodies of the victims swept away by the Bhotekoshi flood are being dumped downstream, hospitals are struggling to find places to store and identify them. The Himalayan Nation only has a capacity of storing about 350 bodies in the morgues nationwide, which has led to a shortage of space to store the bodies until the family identifies and claims them.

The remains of the victims swept by flood from Rasuwa and Nuwakot are being recovered in different parts of the nation. The district of Chitwan, a major low lying areas has collected the highest number, 321 bodies. The morgues there have already been filled with the bodies of the victims swept downstream, which has prompted authorities to set up temporary facilities.

Authorities are managing the bodies under the Unidentified and Unclaimed Bodies Management Guidelines, 2021, under which a committee headed by the district police chief is responsible for managing the remains. With morgues running out of space, the government has engaged in managing unidentified bodies by amending the Unidentified and Unclaimed Body Management Guidelines, 2021.

Indian Forensic Team Assists in DNA Identification

Meanwhile, a 19-member Indian forensic team began analysing DNA samples alongside forensic experts to assist in identifying people affected by the recent flash floods in Nepal, the Indian Embassy stated. The team commenced the analysis at the Nepal Police Central Forensic Science Laboratory and the National Forensic Science Laboratory in the Khumaltar area of Kathmandu Valley.

The Indian experts are working with their counterparts to speed up the processing of DNA samples collected from flood-affected areas and help establish the identities of victims and missing persons, according to the Embassy.

"The deployment of the Indian forensic team is part of ongoing efforts to support Nepal in the aftermath of the recent flash floods, which caused significant loss of life and left several people unaccounted for," the Embassy said.

Death Toll Surpasses 1,100 Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations

Nepal Police said 1,068 bodies had been recovered by Tuesday evening, of which 400 had only partial remains, complicating the identification process. With the death toll continuing to rise following last week's deadly floods, authorities have collected DNA samples from several unclaimed bodies to support identification efforts in the future.

This comes as the death toll from floods in Nepal has risen to 1,127, according to the Nepal Police, on Wednesday. As per the Nepal Police, a total of 45 bodies have been recovered from Rasuwa, 155 from Nuwakot, 59 from Dhading, 348 from Chitwan, 66 from Gorkha, 38 from Tanahun, 217 from Nawalparasi East and 190 from Nawalparasi West.

Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah has said that the rescue of people remains the top priority. He further added that a total of 11,993 people have been rescued so far, while 3,916 people are still missing. (ANI)

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