Photograph of one of the missing persons Shyam Kumar Thapa
Ever since Bal Bahadur Thapa, 39, and Shambhu Singh Thapa, 56, both from Bhakunde-1 of Baglung district reached Kathmandu in search of Sham Kumar Thapa, the two have made the rounds of various hospitals. But they remain clueless to date.
Shyam Kumar last spoke to his wife at around 10:30 am on 25th April, the day of the quake, from Bhumeshwori Guest house at Goganbu.
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Shambhu Singh Thapa, uncle of one of the deceased, tries to identify dead body
He was scheduled to fly to Saudi Arab as a migrant worker on the 24th but he was compelled to stay in a guest house after his flight was postponed for some reason.
His mobile phone rang only three times and on the fourth ring it switched off, leaving his family in utter distress..
"We have tried everything to find him but are able to neither find him alive nor recover his body," said Bal Bahadur, a relative.
He, along with Shambhu Singh, have closely followed several search and rescue operations and monitored debris clearance in Kathmandu Valley, in hopes of finding something to say to the family waiting back in the village.
Belongings of unidentified earthquake victims displayed on the premises of the TU Teaching Hospitals at Maharajgunj
With a heavy heart Bal Bahadur said, "I am tired of repeating the similar line—no clue about Shyam—everyday."
"Had he listed to us and returned home till another flight date was fixed, he would have been happy now with his two children and family," he adding said, "but he refused to return home, arguing that returning would be considered a bad omen, and stayed in the guesthouse.
They matched Shyam Kumar's photo with the bodies that have remaining unidentified so far, they tried to identify the belongings recovered from the bodies, they checked the hospitals lists and knocked on the doors of other stakeholders.
"Neither are we in a position to return home without any information nor are our finances adequate for meeting our expenses in Kathmandu," said Shambhu Singh, an uncle of the missing man.
As of now, 8604 people have confirmed dead and hundreds are feared missing since the 7.8-magnitude quake struck.
The number of bodies piling up at the TUTH mortuary has reached 23. They were recovered from different areas of the Valley as well three each from Dolakha and Langtang.
"We are planning to dispose of the unidentified bodies in the mortuary but the kin of the missing keep coming in search in their loved ones," said DSP Deepka Regmi, who coordinates the autopsies carried out at the hospital.
The authorities have completed the necessary procedural requirements such as taking the finger prints of the bodies, photographing different body parts, collecting DNA samples, noting down specific marks on the bodies, taking samples of the clothing and ornaments, and recording the locations where the bodies were recovered.
As time passes by, the evidence existing on the bodies has become weaker, making identification more difficult. Of the total number of unidentified bodies, only five are recognizable and rest can be identified only with help of evidence or marks to be found on the bodies.
"The bodies of the missing that were brought from Dolakha District on Monday were too dilapidated for carrying out autopsies," DSP Regmi said.
Kishor Shah, 24, of Malangawa in Sarlahi, is in a similar plight. His wife has also been missing from the Gongabu area.
"I have approached all the authorities I met, but no one has any answer concerning my missing wife," he said adding that there would be some closure if either she was found alive or the body was found.
