The New Indian Express ·
Gujarat collects DNA samples from relatives of 29 of 30 missing in Nepal floods
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Government has stepped up efforts to identify people missing after the deadly Nepal flash floods, with DNA samples of relatives of 29 out of 30 untraceable persons from the state now collected for profiling and identification.
The samples will be used to establish DNA matches with bodies and human remains recovered from the disaster zone, while the procedure for the remaining missing-person case is also under way. Accordingly, authorities are working to provide families in Gujarat and abroad with scientific confirmation of the fate of their missing relatives.
The coordination is being led by the Gujarat State Non-Resident Gujaratis’ Foundation (NRGF) under the NRI Division of the General Administration Department. As part of the exercise, NRGF is directly contacting families, explaining the DNA collection procedure and directing relatives to authorised forensic laboratories.
Importantly, the DNA profiling exercise is being conducted under guidelines issued by the Government of India, under which designated laboratories will collect and profile samples of first-degree relatives of missing persons free of cost.
Gujarat has six designated DNA profiling laboratories, located in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Junagadh and Rajkot, allowing families across the state to access authorised facilities.
Meanwhile, the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar, is coordinating the profiling exercise in association with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and facilitating coordination between DNA samples collected in India and the identification process being undertaken in Nepal.
The effort has also extended beyond Gujarat’s borders. NRGF is maintaining contact with relatives of missing persons residing overseas and gathering details about action taken by local authorities in their respective countries. In cases involving families in New Zealand, the United States, Canada and African countries, DNA samples of relatives have, in several instances, already been collected by the concerned authorities.
Consequently, NRGF is coordinating the exchange of information required for the identification exercise in Nepal, while DNA profiling reports generated by designated laboratories are being sent directly to the Government of Nepal through the official email addresses and contact numbers notified for the exercise.
The wider operation is being jointly coordinated by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), district administrations and NRGF. A consolidated list of missing and untraceable persons prepared by SEOC and NRGF has also been shared with the Nepal Government.
So far, 30 people, including Non-Resident Gujaratis, remain untraceable in the flood-affected areas. Officials said missing or uncontactable persons have been reported from Ahmedabad, Anand, Banaskantha, Kheda, Gandhinagar, Surat, Valsad, Rajkot and other parts of Gujarat.
Several of those missing had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, using different travel agencies and routes. However, the scale of destruction has made conventional identification difficult in cases where bodies or human remains cannot be readily identified.
The Nepal Government has therefore launched a DNA profiling exercise following the August 26, 2026, flash flood in the Bhote Koshi River area, which caused hundreds of deaths, displaced thousands and triggered extensive destruction.
Against this backdrop, DNA profiling has emerged as a crucial tool in the identification process. Once the samples are matched, authorities are expected to establish the identities of recovered remains and provide families with much-needed confirmation about their missing relatives.
