Japan relief workers help to identify Nepal flood victims

Disaster relief teams are still hard at work in Nepal, more than a month after a landslide on the China border triggered massive flooding. The Japanese government is assisting with one of the big challenges -- victim identification.

Authorities in Nepal say the disaster on August 26 left more than 1,400 people dead, with over 5,200 others unaccounted for.

The Japanese team spent two weeks collecting fingerprints and DNA samples from recovered bodies. So far, about 110 victims have been identified and returned to their families. That accounts for less than 10 percent of those confirmed dead.

Many of the remains were badly degraded. Shinto Yasuharu, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Japanese Embassy in Nepal, said identifying the victims is extremely challenging. He added: "Nepal receives many tourists, and foreign nationals are among those still missing. We need to accelerate this process."

The Japanese government plans to provide DNA analysis equipment and dispatch additional specialists to Nepal.