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- Nepal flash floods death toll reaches 939, 4,000 missing.
- Two families dispute identity of one body, awaiting DNA test.
- Identification challenges persist, using belongings and tattoos for victims.
Nepal Flash Floods: The death toll from the flash floods in Nepal rose to 939 on Monday as rescue teams recovered more bodies, with over 4,000 people still missing.
At the Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences, Body No. 1003 was claimed by three families. According to Nepal News, the body was claimed by the families of Gopal Dahit, a hydropower worker from Bardiya, and Damodar Basyal, a tourist guide from Rupandehi, while a third family also initially came forward. The two families still disputing the identity have agreed to undergo DNA testing.
Two Families Claim Same Body
The search for Gopal Dahit began after he went missing in the flood while working on a hydropower project in Rasuwa.
His sister, Manji Tharu, and other relatives travelled from Bardiya to Gaindakot, where police showed them photos of recovered bodies. They identified Body No. 1003 as Gopal and travelled to Pokhara to claim his remains, The Kathmandu Post reported.
However, before they could collect the body, relatives of Damodar Basyal also claimed it. Basyal's family said that several physical features matched their missing relative, while Dahit's family said the teeth, forehead, lips, hands, chest, and face matched Gopal.
Both families agreed to DNA testing to settle the dispute. While police have already collected DNA samples from the body, matching them could take one to one-and-a-half months due to the heavy volume of testing being handled by the Nepal Police Laboratory and the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology.
Belongings, Tattoos Help Identify Other Flood Victims
In another case, a family identified a five-year-old boy through the belongings he was wearing. Raj Kumar Tamang of Bidur, Nuwakot, identified the body of his son, Prince, from his school tie, necklace, and earring after viewing photographs of recovered bodies published on the Nepal Police website, the Post reported.
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Prince had gone to school in his uniform before disappearing when the Trishuli flooded. His body was later recovered downstream from the Narayani River in Nawalparasi. The tie bore the name of Uttargaya Secondary School in Bidur, where Prince was an LKG student.
Similarly, Satya Krishna Prajapati of Bhaktapur identified the body of his elder brother, Satya Sundar Prajapati, by a tattoo on his shoulder. Satya Sundar had been working as a site engineer at the under-construction Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project in Rasuwa. His remains were taken back to Kathmandu on Friday.
Identification Challenges Persist
These cases highlight the difficulties facing families and authorities as bodies recovered far downstream are brought to hospitals, where photographs, physical features, and personal belongings are being used to establish identities.
(With Inputs From PTI)
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