Our special envoy to Kathmandu - The authorities in Nepal face a major challenge in identifying bodies found after the floods, some of which are in an advanced state of decomposition. For health reasons, the authorities began burying the bodies whose owners were not identified. Before each burial, DNA samples are taken, and each body is given its own identification number. Reported by Ashraf Obaid, Shahzeb Lah, Ondine de Gaulle and Diamond Upreti.

Published on: 03/09/2026 - 12:15

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Relatives of people missing due to floods in Nepal go to DNA collection centers to submit a sample, after comparing their genetic profile with those of the bodies that have been found, in the hope of determining their identities.

FRANCE 24 delegates went to one of these centers, which was set up inside the police hospital in the capital, Kathmandu.

"People come here with their identity documents. We register their details, then we take blood samples. Given the current circumstances, we believe that taking DNA samples is the best way to identify the bodies," said Rameshwar Adhikari, police commissioner at this hospital.

Read also reportage - Nepal floods: mass graves of unidentified victims

“I hope the government can hand over my son’s body to me.”

The father of a missing person told the France 24 team: “I am 99% sure that we will not find him alive, because of the nature of the area he was in. But I hope that the government will be able, at least, to hand over my son’s body to me. That is why I came here to provide a sample. My hope is that I will be able to recover his body.”

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