Nepal will proceed with mass burials of unidentified victims of the devastating flash floods after authorities faced an acute shortage of space in mortuaries, officials said on Sunday.
The decision by the Ministry of Home Affairs came a day after 70 unclaimed bodies were buried in Chitwan district. Kathmandu has emerged as the main collection centre for bodies recovered downstream following severe flooding across the Trishuli River basin.
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Authorities said DNA samples of the unidentified victims will be preserved. This will allow families who later identify their relatives to exhume the remains and perform religious funeral rites.
The floods were triggered by a major glacial collapse near Nepal’s border with Tibet. Surging waters swept through the Bhote Koshi and Lende Khola before entering the Trishuli River, causing widespread destruction in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts.
The scale of the disaster has overwhelmed local facilities, leaving officials with little choice but to begin mass burials of bodies that remain unidentified.
According to official figures cited in the report, the disaster has claimed 752 lives, while around 2,500 people remain missing.
The mass burials are being carried out as rescue and recovery operations continue, while authorities preserve biological samples in the hope that missing persons can eventually be identified and their families given an opportunity to carry out their final rites.
