Bihar seeks relatives' DNA to identify bodies recovered after Nepal floods

The Bihar government will collect DNA samples from relatives of people missing in the Nepal floods to help identify bodies believed to be those of residents from the state, officials said on Tuesday.

The floods, triggered by an ice-and-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages across northern and central Nepal.

Around 1,400 people were killed and more than 5,000 remain missing. Several bodies are yet to be identified because they were found in a severely decomposed state.

The Ministry of External Affairs said on September 3 that 275 Indians remained missing following the disaster.

Bihar’s Home Department said relatives of missing residents could submit their DNA samples through local police stations or civic authorities.

The samples will be examined at the Forensic Science Laboratory in Patna and matched with unidentified bodies recovered in Nepal.

“Police and administrative officials have been directed to extend all possible assistance to the affected families and provide them information on the procedure for submitting samples,” the department said in a statement.- EndsPublished By: Aprameya RaoPublished On: Sep 15, 2026 22:23 IST