Archive · 5 Sep 2026
Nepal Flood DNA Testing Offers Hope to Families of Missing
Severe floods in Nepal caused more than 1,300 deaths and left about 5,000 people missing.
Some bodies were badly damaged by water, mud and debris.
This made it difficult to identify people by their faces, clothes or belongings.
Police are using DNA tests to compare bodies with samples from relatives.
One family found a hand that may belong to Raj Kumar Diyali.
Raj Kumar, his wife and their four-year-old son disappeared in the flood.
The family sent the hand for testing in Kathmandu.
They hope the result will finally tell them what happened.
Police have also posted information about unidentified bodies online and opened a sample center closer to families.
Nepal authorities are using DNA testing to identify bodies recovered after the August 26 floods.
Police collected 2,272 DNA samples: 1,260 from bodies and 1,012 from relatives.
Authorities said 1,030 bodies were buried after DNA collection and other identification procedures.
A family submitted a severed hand for testing after Raj Kumar Diyali, his wife and son disappeared.
Nepal Police listed 1,270 unidentified bodies online and opened a sample center in Bidur, Nuwakot.
- Who
- Nepal authorities, police and families searching for relatives missing after the floods.
- What
- Authorities are using DNA testing and other procedures to identify recovered bodies.
- When
- The floods struck on August 26; identification efforts were continuing afterward.
- Where
- The flooding began near the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa and affected downstream areas; testing is being conducted in Kathmandu, with sample collection also available in Bidur, Nuwakot.
- Why
- Many recovered remains were damaged, decomposed or fragmented, making ordinary identification difficult; families also need certainty so they can perform final rites.
- Reported deaths and missing people
- More than 1,300 people were reported killed and around 5,000 remained missing.
- DNA samples collected
- 2,272 total: 1,260 from bodies and 1,012 from relatives.
- Bodies buried
- Authorities said 1,030 bodies were buried after DNA samples and other procedures were completed.
- Bodies handed to families
- Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 96 identified bodies had been handed over to families.
- Unidentified bodies listed
- Nepal Police uploaded details of 1,270 unidentified bodies to its website.
- Diyali family case
- A hand found in Nawalpur was sent to Kathmandu for DNA testing to determine whether it belonged to Raj Kumar Diyali.
- Additional collection center
- Nepal Police opened a DNA sample collection center in Bidur, Nuwakot.
