One week after catastrophic flash floods swept through Nepal, killing more than 1,000 people and leaving nearly 4,000 missing, authorities are collecting DNA samples from relatives to identify victims as morgues reach capacity. At a Kathmandu hospital, dozens of family members lined up on Tuesday morning to provide blood samples, hoping for closure amid the chaos.
Among them was 19-year-old Prakrit Gurung, who lost her father in the disaster and now hopes her DNA will help locate her mother's body. Her brother had already identified their father's picture on a wall outside the hospital. Gurung is one of many responding to the government's urgent request for relatives to come forward.
DNA collection effort expands
Rameshwor Adhikari, an army official overseeing the operation, said, "We are collecting the blood samples here, from their siblings, or direct relatives. People are coming from all over the valley to give blood, and from different places all over the country." He described the situation as "a disaster. A natural calamity."
On the first day, 37 people provided samples, but numbers are growing, prompting the army to set up additional shade tents for the crowds. Authorities are also urging relatives abroad to send their DNA profiles, with several Australian families already having samples taken. As of Wednesday morning, 38 Australians were among the missing.
Australian citizen was among the first 14 people to attend the blood sampling on Tuesday, having flown in to support his family after his brother, a Nepali citizen, disappeared in the floods.
Families demand more action
In a statement this week, family members of 25 missing Australians called for increased government support to "bring our friends and loved ones back home." Meanwhile, Nepali families from the worst-hit upper Rasuwa district have been campaigning for more boots and rescue equipment on the ground.
Contact has still not been established in some areas along the Chinese border, a week after the disaster. Lhakpa Gha, 53, from the village of Timure, lost seven relatives—her father, brother-in-law, son, daughter-in-law, their four-year-old daughter, her daughter, and her sister's brother. She and her husband survived because they were in Kathmandu caring for two grandchildren attending school.
"I lost my whole family," Gha said through a translator. "We've lost everyone." She is now staying at a Buddhist monastery housing about 200 survivors from the upper region, many of whom watched loved ones swept away as their towns were flattened.
Aid access remains a challenge
A UN report on Monday warned it could take weeks to reach the far north, as roads and bridges have been destroyed. Amy Sagitta Lefevre from Save the Children said, "Aid is definitely getting through, but to a point." Her teams have reached Rusawa by road, but supplies that cannot go further are stored at army barracks.
Save the Children is distributing makeshift tents, blankets, ropes, tarpaulin sheets, and buckets to those sleeping exposed to the elements. The agency is also providing "dignity kits" for women, particularly pregnant women, which include extra saris and clothing for mothers still wearing the same clothes from the day of the disaster.
About 2,600 children are expected to need medical treatment for severe wasting, and more than 100 may have been separated from their parents. Lefevre noted the full recovery could take over a year, and the agency has set up a field office to manage the response.
Workers are concerned about disease spread, water contamination, overcrowded shelters, and the potential for child trafficking. "This area of Nepal has historically been a hotbed for child trafficking of girls," Lefevre said. "We've heard anecdotally that it may have lessened in recent years, but because of this disaster we are now very concerned about the fact that children or girls … could be trafficked."
