Nepal needs international support to identify flood victims through DNA testing, forensic expert says

Identifying victims of Nepal’s major floods has become difficult because many recovered bodies have decomposed or suffered extensive damage, a Nepali forensic expert said.

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Some bodies were recovered in a severely decomposed state, making DNA analysis particularly important.

Lata Gautam, a forensic science professor at Anglia Ruskin University in Britain, told the Kathmandu Post that DNA analysis had become especially important for bodies recovered in a severely decomposed state. She said international partners could help Nepal with laboratory equipment, consumables and technical support.

Bodies that cannot be identified visually normally require DNA samples from skin or blood. But remains recovered from water often have badly damaged soft tissue, making extraction difficult. Gautam said DNA can also come from bones and teeth, though those tests require more advanced equipment, suitable facilities and trained personnel.

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DNA profiles can be obtained from bones and teeth, but this is more complex than extraction through soft tissue and requires advanced equipment, facilities and trained personnel.

Nepal faces limits in forensic infrastructure, specialist staff and DNA-testing capacity, she said, adding that international support could provide specialized equipment, resources and expertise.

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Maintaining refrigerated facilities to store thousands of bodies is neither realistic nor sustainable. Temporary burial, with proper records and protective measures, can be a long-term storage option.

With morgues reaching capacity and decomposition continuing, Nepalese authorities have begun collectively burying hundreds of unidentified bodies. Gautam said temporary burial may be unavoidable, but authorities must preserve the possibility of later identification. Every body and body part should receive a unique number, be photographed and have its recovery location and personal effects recorded. DNA profiles, fingerprints and photographs should be maintained nationally so remains can be exhumed if new information or forensic advances make identification possible.

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Every body and body part should be assigned a unique identification number, photographed, and recorded with the exact recovery location and personal effects.