Archive · 3 Sep 2026
Nepal Police Seeks DNA Samples to Identify Rasuwa Flood Victims
A major flood hit Nepal’s Rasuwa district on 26 August 2026.
Many people died, and many others are still missing.
Police have found bodies and body parts that have not yet been identified.
DNA testing can help match these remains to missing people.
Close family members, such as parents or children, are asked to provide blood samples.
Families in Nepal can give samples to police facilities.
Families in other countries can use an approved laboratory where they live.
The results will be compared with DNA taken from the recovered remains.
Nepal Police asked first-degree relatives of people missing since the Bhotekoshi flood to submit DNA samples.
The 26 August 2026 flash flood began in Tibet’s Lhende Khola and swept through Nepal’s Rasuwa district.
More than 1,200 people have reportedly died, while thousands remain missing, including foreign nationals from over 30 countries.
Relatives in Nepal can submit blood samples at Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu or a nearby District Police Office.
Families abroad should use an authorized laboratory, obtain an Autosomal STR profile, and email it to Nepal Police for comparison.
- Who
- Nepal Police and first-degree relatives of people missing after the flood.
- What
- A DNA sample collection and comparison process to identify unclaimed bodies and body parts.
- When
- The flood occurred on 26 August 2026; Nepal Police issued its notice on 3 September 2026.
- Where
- The flooding affected Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan in Nepal; samples can be submitted in Nepal or abroad.
- Why
- To identify recovered remains and help families determine whether missing relatives are among the dead.
- Disaster date
- 26 August 2026
- Affected Nepal districts
- Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan
- Reported deaths
- More than 1,200 people
- DNA donors requested
- First-degree relatives: father, mother, son or daughter
- DNA method
- Autosomal STR DNA profiling
- Nepal submission locations
- Pathology Laboratory at Nepal Police Hospital, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, or the nearest District Police Office
- Required supporting materials
- Two passport-sized photographs, missing-person details, identification information, disappearance details, the DNA report and the donor’s relationship to the missing person
- Foreign-family submission
- Use an authorized laboratory in the country of residence and email the soft-copy profile to [email protected]