TRISHULI, Sept 5: Nepal Police have set up a DNA sample collection center in Nuwakot to collect samples for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing to help identify people missing in the Bhotekoshi River flood.
Earlier, family members of victims were compelled to travel to Kathmandu from Rasuwa and Nuwakot to provide DNA samples.
To make it easier for families affected by the flood, a sample collection center has been set up in Bidur, Deputy Inspector General of Police Dr Damodar Paudel said.
DNA sample of three suspects collected for investigation
He said collecting DNA samples from family members of missing persons would help ascertain the identities of bodies recovered from flood-affected areas.
"After reports that several people from Nuwakot and Rasuwa went missing in the flood, DNA testing is being initiated to identify the recovered bodies by taking samples from their family members," said Dr Paudel.
"The Nepal Police Hospital in Maharajgunj has set up a collection center in Bidur to make it easier for people to provide DNA samples without having to travel to Kathmandu," he added.
According to him, 2,564 applications have been received in Nuwakot reporting people as missing in the floods of the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers.
Among them, 192 bodies have been recovered so far, of which police have identified only 18.
The remaining bodies, once identified, will be handed over to their families, and DNA testing procedures are underway.
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