Two families claim the same body as flood victims remain hard to identify

A body in a Pokhara morgue has become the focus of competing claims from two families, exposing the difficulty of identifying victims of the Bhotekoshi flood.

Relatives of Gopal Dahit, a worker at the Mailung Hydropower Project, and Damodar Basyal, a tourist guide from Rupandehi, both said Body No. 1003 matched their missing relative. Police collected DNA samples from both families on Sunday and will keep the body in the morgue until testing establishes its identity.

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There was a mole. That matched. His lips were thick, and that matched too.

Radhe Shyam Sharma Basyal said distinctive features, including a mole and thick lips, matched a photograph of his younger brother. “There was a mole. That matched. His lips were thick, and that matched too,” he said. “He is my youngest brother. I am ready for a DNA test.” He said neither family should receive the body before scientific confirmation.

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He is my youngest brother. I am ready for a DNA test.

Dahit’s relatives had travelled from Bardiya after he disappeared following the flood. They identified the body from photographs in Nawalparasi East and travelled to Pokhara, where hospital staff were preparing to release it. Another family claimed it before Dahit’s elder brother arrived to see the body.

Police said the case was not isolated. Another body at the hospital has also been claimed by two families. Inspector Dipak Rijal, acting spokesperson for Kaski District Police, said DNA testing helps prevent one family from mistakenly taking another victim’s body. Authorities have brought 102 bodies from Gorkha, Tanahun, Dhading and eastern Nawalparasi East to Pokhara. By Sunday, 16 had been identified and handed to relatives.

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During a disaster, there is a possibility that one family may mistakenly take away someone else's body. That is why DNA testing is necessary.