Gujarat Completes DNA Sampling for 29 Missing in Nepal

GANDHINAGAR :  With conventional identification proving difficult in the aftermath of Nepal’s devastating flash floods, Gujarat has completed DNA sample collection from relatives of 29 of the 30 people from the state who remain missing or uncontactable. Authorities are now using DNA profiling to help match recovered bodies and human remains with those reported missing.

The samples have been collected from first-degree relatives of missing persons, with the process being coordinated not only across Gujarat but also for family members living overseas.

The Gujarat State Non-Resident Gujaratis’ Foundation (NRGF), under the NRI Division of the General Administration Department, is coordinating with affected families and authorities to complete the identification process.

The initiative covers Gujaratis, including Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRGs), who went missing following the August 26 flash flood along the Bhote Koshi River corridor near the Nepal-Tibet border. The disaster reportedly claimed hundreds of lives, displaced thousands and caused extensive damage.

The DNA collection process for the remaining missing person is also under way.

Under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the Gujarat government has been coordinating with the Government of India, Nepal authorities and consular agencies to assist families awaiting information about their relatives.

The NRGF is personally contacting families of each missing person and guiding them on designated laboratories and procedures for DNA collection and profiling. It is also coordinating with relatives living in New Zealand, the United States, Canada and African countries, where samples have either been collected or procedures are being handled by local authorities.

As per Union government directions, DNA profiling for this exercise is being provided free of cost at designated forensic laboratories.

Six authorised DNA profiling laboratories are located in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Junagadh and Rajkot, allowing families in Gujarat to access the facilities.

The National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar, is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on DNA profiling conducted in India and its linkage with the identification process in Nepal.

DNA profiling reports generated by designated laboratories are being sent directly to the Government of Nepal through official communication channels notified for the identification exercise.

Officials said missing persons have been reported from Ahmedabad, Anand, Banaskantha, Kheda, Gandhinagar, Surat, Valsad, Rajkot and other parts of Gujarat. Several had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through different agencies and routes.

The State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), district administrations and NRGF have jointly compiled and shared details of missing and untraceable persons with Nepal authorities.

Officials said DNA identification is expected to provide families with definitive confirmation by helping authorities establish whether recovered remains belong to those still unaccounted for.