For families still waiting for news of loved ones lost in Nepal’s devastating late-August flash floods, the hardest part of the disaster may not be over when the waters recede.
More than 1,200 people have died in the tragedy, and for some families, the loss remains incomplete because the identity of their loved ones is yet to be established.
In Kathmandu, forensic experts from India are now working on that difficult task.
A 10-member team from the Gandhinagar campus of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), along with specialists from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), is assisting Nepalese authorities in identifying victims whose remains cannot be recognised through conventional methods.
The Indian team is working in two laboratories in Kathmandu, where around 1,200 DNA samples are being processed as part of the identification effort.
Forensic specialists are developing DNA profiles from recovered human remains and preparing them for comparison with samples collected from close relatives of people reported missing.
For a laboratory, each sample is a biological specimen. For a family, it can represent the possibility of finally knowing what happened to someone they have been waiting for.
When a face can no longer provide an answer
In a large disaster, identifying a person is not always as simple as recognising a face or matching personal belongings.
Floodwaters, injuries, decomposition and the passage of time can leave remains in a condition where visual identification becomes extremely difficult or impossible. This is where DNA profiling becomes important.
Depending on the condition of the remains, forensic specialists may work with soft tissue, bones, teeth or bodily fluids to recover genetic material. That material is processed to create an individual DNA profile.
The profile can then be compared with reference samples obtained from relatives of missing people.
The process does not identify a person merely by producing a DNA profile. The crucial step is finding a reliable genetic match between the unidentified remains and the reference samples.
The database containing profiles generated during the operation remains under the control of Nepalese authorities, with the information being used for the identification process.
International forensic teams involved in the operation are also using the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, to organise and search DNA profiles. Developed in the United States, the system enables genetic profiles to be indexed and compared systematically.
Ahmedabad’s mass-casualty experience now has a new purpose
For the forensic specialists arriving from Gujarat, Nepal is not the first time they have had to work with large numbers of victims and difficult biological samples.
The AI171 aircraft crash in Ahmedabad had already exposed forensic teams to the demanding realities of mass-fatality identification.
The crash required specialists to recover genetic material from severely damaged remains and develop usable DNA profiles that could be compared with samples from relatives. That experience has now become relevant beyond Ahmedabad.
The same basic forensic process is being used in Nepal: identify suitable biological material, recover usable genetic information, create a profile and compare it with reference samples from families searching for missing relatives.
The Ahmedabad experience therefore forms an important part of the expertise being carried into the Nepal operation.
The forensic assistance is being provided as part of India’s broader support to Nepal, with the involvement of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The work begins long before a DNA match
The identification process involves several stages.
Once recovered bodies undergo medico-legal procedures under Nepalese authorities, forensic specialists assess the condition of the remains and determine what material can potentially yield DNA. Samples are then collected and processed in laboratories.
In cases where remains have deteriorated significantly, obtaining a usable DNA profile can become technically challenging. Some samples may contain enough genetic material for analysis, while others may require more specialised handling.
Once an individual profile has been developed, it can be compared with reference samples provided by relatives.
The process is particularly important when several victims remain unidentified because a database allows profiles to be systematically organised rather than relying solely on individual searches.
The search is also happening from India
The identification effort does not end in Kathmandu.
India has also been facilitating the collection and analysis of DNA samples from relatives of people who may have died in the disaster.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had directed forensic laboratories across the country to function as centres for collecting and analysing reference samples from relatives in India.
In Gujarat, facilities under the Directorate of Forensic Sciences and NFSU are involved in the profiling exercise. More than 10 samples from relatives had been collected in the state at the time of the report.
These samples can serve as reference points for comparisons with DNA profiles generated from unidentified remains in Nepal.
Behind every profile is a family waiting
A mass disaster is often described through figures — the number of people killed, rescued, missing or recovered. But the identification process reveals another side of those numbers.
For a family, an unidentified body does not simply mean an unresolved forensic case. It can mean days or weeks of uncertainty, unanswered phone calls and the inability to know whether a missing relative is alive or dead. A DNA match cannot undo the loss. But it can replace uncertainty with an answer.
It can give a name to someone whose remains might otherwise remain unidentified. It can allow families to perform final rites and begin grieving with certainty rather than continuing to search for an explanation. That is what makes the work of the Indian forensic team in Kathmandu significant.
The expertise developed through difficult investigations, including the Ahmedabad aircraft crash, is now being applied to another disaster across the border.
In the laboratories, the work may look like samples, profiles and database comparisons. For the families waiting outside them, it is something much more human — a search for a name, an answer and, ultimately, the chance to say goodbye.
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