Hundreds of Unidentified Bodies, Thousands Missing, and Unclear Data: The True Scale of Human Loss May Remain Unknown for Months
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Two weeks after the floods in Rasuwa, officials have told reporters that determining the true scale of human loss will not be “immediately possible,” and that the process of identification and confirmation could continue for years.
Central spokesperson for Nepal Police, Abi Narayan Kafle, said, “We do not yet have accurate data on missing persons. Some bodies may never be found.”
According to Nepal Police records, of nearly 1,400 recovered bodies, approximately 500 consist only of partial remains. Among these, only about 100 have been identified and handed over to families.
There is a discrepancy of nearly 1,300 between the numbers of missing persons reported by two government agencies: the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority and Nepal Police.
As of Tuesday evening, the Authority has reported approximately 5,300 people as uncontactable, while the Police report around 4,100 missing.
Authority spokesperson Shanti Mahat noted, “The actual number of uncontactable persons may differ. They could be deceased or rescued.”
She added, “Legally, unidentified bodies cannot be removed from the uncontactable list.”
‘An Unprecedented Challenge’
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Police officers have reported facing an “unprecedented challenge” in body recovery operations.
According to Central Spokesperson Kafle, the police are launching a large-scale search operation along both banks of rivers stretching from the China border to India, seeking buried houses, sheds, and other structures.
“We are utilizing drones, trained dogs, binoculars, and deploying a large workforce to conduct thorough searches,” Kafle stated.
More than 200 kilometers downstream from the first disaster area at Rasuwagadhi border checkpoint, near Trivenidham, body recovery operations continue two weeks after the disaster.
Madan Thapa, police spokesperson for western Nawalparasi bordering India, noted, “Even corpses found intact were often unidentifiable based on facial features. The remains found as salvage have only complicated identification.”
Although more than 200 bodies have been collected, Thapa’s team has successfully handed over only nine identified bodies to families.
“That was possible only by identifying tattoos on the bodies,” Thapa explained. “There remains a possibility that multiple remains belong to one individual.”
Fading Hope
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Families of those missing since the disaster on September 25th who have neither been found nor have their bodies recovered have created wooden effigies to perform last rites in memory of their departed loved ones.
Forensic expert Dr. Harihar Basti explains that DNA matching on recovered bodies and remains will take the government several months to confirm deaths.
“Given the large number of bodies requiring DNA matching, it is likely to be a lengthy process spanning months,” says Basti, who has tested over 15,000 bodies in his career.
“In the initial days, bodies were documented using tattoos, marks, and items found with them. Within the first four to five days, fingerprints could also be taken.”
He notes that other countries have established these identification techniques in major disasters, but Nepal has missed this opportunity.
Police spokesperson Kafle considers this a significant and ongoing responsibility that may continue for years.
“Large areas were buried under debris. After the monsoon ends or when rains fall, bodies may gradually emerge from the debris. This connects to the long-term pain of thousands of families. The Police will recover and confirm bodies respectfully.”
While Nepal has indicated through diplomatic channels that some bodies may have reached India, only 19 have been officially repatriated so far. Officials estimate the actual number could be much higher.
Relying Exclusively on DNA Testing Now
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Currently, DNA testing is primarily being conducted at the Nepal Police Forensic Laboratory and the National Forensic Science Laboratory in Khumaltar.
According to Police spokesperson Kafle, “Previously, these tests were mostly conducted in criminal investigations or for related purposes. Now, there is a backlog of such samples to process.”
Government data shows these laboratories conduct fewer than 1,000 DNA matches and profiling tests annually.
Police have collected more than 2,600 samples from families of missing persons and recovered bodies.
Facilitated sample collection is available for families in 76 districts, according to police.
On the third day after the disaster, Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said at a press conference that Nepal has “limited forensic facilities” and is “expecting foreign assistance” for identification purposes.
Officials say that equipment and forensic experts have arrived as assistance from India, China, South Korea, Singapore, and other countries.
Despite the large number of casualties, officials maintain that confirming accurate data is vital.
Authority spokesperson Shanti Mahat explained that under current law, only those missing for 12 years can be declared dead, but due to this unprecedented disaster, discussions are underway to make decisions within months.
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