Nepal floods: Gujarat collects DNA samples of relatives to trace missing persons

The search for people from Gujarat who remain missing after the devastating floods in Nepal has entered a forensic identification phase, with the state government initiating DNA profiling of relatives to establish whether recovered remains belong to those yet to be traced.

The Gujarat government said on Thursday that relatives of 29 of the 30 people from the state who are still missing have provided DNA samples to aid the identification process. For relatives in Gujarat, DNA profiling is being undertaken through six designated laboratories in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Junagadh and Rajkot, where samples of first-degree relatives will be collected and profiled under the Central Government guidelines.

The profiling is being undertaken free of cost in accordance with directions issued by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Officials are now expected to compare DNA profiles provided by the relatives with samples obtained from remains recovered from the Nepal disaster zone.

The process could help authorities establish the identities of those who remain unaccounted for. A list of missing and untraceable persons compiled by the state agencies has been shared with the Government of Nepal, while Gujarat is coordinating with the Centre and consular authorities in Nepal, the statement said.