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🇲🇾 Malaysia /Disasters & Emergencies

DNA samples collected from relatives of 25 Malaysian families missing in Nepal

From Utusan Malaysia · () Malay

Translated from Malay and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Relatives from 25 of 55 Malaysian families with members missing in Nepal have provided DNA samples to help identify victims.
  • Families have also been asked to submit personal belongings and physical details of the missing people.
  • Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry is expected to send an official team to Kathmandu to assist with consular and identification operations.

Relatives from 25 Malaysian families have provided DNA samples to help identify citizens still missing after devastating floods and landslides in Nepal.

Dr. R. Manivanna, a representative of Malaysia’s Solidariti Malaysia: Famili Dalam Harapan, said he was among the relatives who submitted samples, together with four family members. His sister, 48-year-old Komathi Rethinam, remains missing after travelling to attend a religious ceremony at Mount Kailash in Tibet, China.

The police came to our home in Cheras to take DNA samples. Five family members submitted samples, including the victim’s parents, child and two siblings.

· Dr. R. ManivannaHe described how his family provided DNA samples to support victim identification.

Police visited the family’s home in Cheras to collect samples from five relatives, including the victim’s parents, child and two siblings. Other relatives have been asked to report to district police headquarters. Authorities aim to complete sample collection from all families this week.

All this information is needed to help with identification if the bodies found have not yet been identified.

· Dr. R. ManivannaHe explained why authorities are collecting personal belongings and physical details.

Families have also been asked to provide personal items such as toothbrushes, combs and mascara brushes, along with information about clothing, brands, mobile phones, shoes and physical marks. The information could help identify bodies found without formal identification.

Manivanna said he had been told that Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry would send an official team to Kathmandu to support consular work and field operations. The ministry had encouraged relatives to undergo DNA testing after unidentified bodies were found and some had to be buried quickly because suitable storage facilities were unavailable. Earlier figures listed 55 Malaysians missing in Nepal and 36 in China after the disasters in Nepal’s Rasuwa district on Aug. 26. Anadolu Agency reported that the overall death toll had reached 1,220, with 4,762 people, including 844 foreign nationals, still missing.

The team’s presence is important to obtain information directly and help with the identification of victims at hospitals and body-storage locations.

· Dr. R. ManivannaHe emphasized the expected role of Malaysia’s official team in Kathmandu.
About this summary

Originally published by Utusan Malaysia in Malay. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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