Archive · 4 Sep 2026
Bengal Collects DNA Samples to Identify Missing Nepal Trekkers
Relatives of 27 people missing after a Mansarovar trek gave blood samples in Bengal.
The samples will be tested to create DNA profiles.
The profiles will be sent to the Nepal government.
Officials will compare them with DNA from unidentified bodies found after the flash flood.
This could help determine whether any bodies belong to the missing trekkers.
Police and other officials helped families reach government hospitals.
At least four families also travelled to Nepal to search for their relatives.
Some families who went to Nepal did not provide samples in Bengal on Thursday, but police said they could do so later.
DNA samples were collected from relatives of 27 people missing in Nepal at government hospitals across Bengal on Thursday.
Police and sub-divisional officials accompanied family members to hospitals and helped arrange the collection process.
Samples will be sent to a forensic laboratory, with profiles shared with Nepal for comparison with unclaimed bodies.
At least four families had travelled to Nepal to search hospitals for missing relatives, while some did not provide samples in Bengal on Thursday.
A family member said relatives had already provided samples at Nepal Police Hospital but received no timeline for results.
- Who
- Relatives of 27 people missing in Nepal, assisted by Bengal police and sub-divisional officials.
- What
- DNA samples were collected to help identify unclaimed bodies recovered after a flash flood.
- When
- Samples were collected on Thursday; families’ searches and some initial sampling in Nepal were reported on Wednesday.
- Where
- Samples were collected at government hospitals in Bengal, analyzed at a forensic laboratory, and compared with records in Nepal.
- Why
- To determine whether unidentified bodies in Nepal include the missing trekkers.
- Families sampled in Bengal
- Relatives from 27 families provided DNA samples on Thursday.
- Collection locations
- Government hospitals across Bengal, including Kharagpur Sub-Divisional Hospital and Sagore Dutta hospital.
- Testing process
- Samples will be sent to a forensic laboratory for DNA profiling.
- Matching authority
- DNA reports will be shared with the Nepal government for comparison with unclaimed bodies.
- Families searching in Nepal
- At least four families travelled to Nepal and searched several hospitals.
- Earlier sampling
- Relatives of one missing couple provided blood samples at Nepal Police Hospital on Wednesday.
- Future assistance
- Police said families approaching later for profiling would also be assisted.
