The New Indian Express ·
DNA samples of kin of 78 Tamils sent to Nepal
CHENNAI: Seventeen days have passed by since flash floods struck Nepal but the families of 49 people who went on a pilgrimage to the neighbouring country through an agency in Chromepet last month say they are yet to receive any further updates from the Tamil Nadu government other than that they are yet to be traced.
Meanwhile, in a bid to speed up the search and rescue operations in Nepal, three labs in Chennai, Thanjavur and Madurai are collecting blood samples from the first-degree relatives of those missing for DNA profiling. So far, DNA profiles of the kin of 78 of the total 85 Tamils who are missing have been handed over to the Nepal government, a TN government official told TNIE on Friday.
“The first-degree relatives of four missing people are living abroad. They are expected to reach Tamil Nadu in a week or so, following which blood samples would be taken from them for DNA profiling,” the official added.
