Nepal flood victims’ remains temporarily interred for DNA identification, not mass burial, envoy says

The remains recovered after Nepal’s recent flash floods have been temporarily interred for DNA identification, not placed in a mass grave, India’s ambassador to Nepal said.

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It is not a mass burial.

Naveen Srivastava said the remains were in a highly decomposed state. Nepali authorities had temporarily buried them with public-health concerns in mind, he said, and would exhume them once DNA testing matched them with relatives. The remains would then be handed over to the families.

Nepal Police published photographs of recovered bodies and remains on its website, while the Indian mission circulated the information through press releases to help families identify the dead. Srivastava said the mission would connect relatives with Nepali authorities when an identification was made, although no such return had yet taken place.

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They have been temporarily interred so that once a DNA match is established between the mortal remains and the relatives, the bodies or whatever remains are available will be exhumed and handed over to the families.

He also said the Nepali Army had helped rescue 166 Indians from flood-affected areas. Those rescued included a 21-member group from Tamil Nadu travelling for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, more than 80 employees of Andritz working on hydropower projects, and other Indians living in the affected area.

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So, as of date, with the help of the Nepali Army, we've been able to rescue 166 people altogether.