Following devastating floods and landslides in Nepal and Tibet last week, the death toll has surpassed 1,000, with approximately 4,400 people reported missing. The scale of the disaster has left the fate of thousands uncertain as rescue teams struggle to reach isolated areas where critical infrastructure, including roads and bridges, has been destroyed.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the magnitude of the catastrophe has overwhelmed local facilities. Due to severe shortages of morgue space and the risk of rapid decomposition, some remains have already been interred. In response, Nepalese police have initiated a large-scale DNA identification process to determine the identities of the deceased.
Law enforcement authorities have issued an urgent appeal to the families of the missing to provide DNA samples. According to police statements, relatives are requested to submit fresh blood samples along with two photographs to the pathology laboratory at the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu or to the nearest police station. For citizens residing abroad, authorities recommend obtaining a DNA profile from an authorized laboratory and submitting a digital copy to the Nepalese police.
The missing include 592 foreign nationals, among them tourists from India, the US, Great Britain, Australia, and Canada, as well as Hindu pilgrims visiting Mount Kailash in Tibet. To assist in the identification process, photographs of the deceased are being displayed outside hospitals in Kathmandu.
The disaster is believed to have been triggered by a glacial collapse near the Chinese border. The resulting torrent of ice, rock, and mud swept across vast areas, causing widespread destruction. Such glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are becoming an increasing concern in the Himalayas due to rising global temperatures, which accelerate glacial melting and destabilize mountain slopes, posing significant risks to downstream communities.
