CHITWAN: The bodies of people who died in the Bhotekoshi flood in Rasuwa and were retrieved in Chitwan will be buried after DNA samples are collected to facilitate their identification in the future.
A meeting of the District Security Committee held at the District Administration Office today decided to bury the bodies to prevent the spread of infection, as they have begun decomposing and there is insufficient space to keep them in refrigeration facilities.
Of the 233 bodies recovered from the banks of the Narayani and Trishuli rivers in the district, only four have been identified so far, according to Chief District Officer Ganesh Aryal. The remaining 229 bodies are being kept at holding centers and various health institutions.
Aryal said the bodies have started to decompose, with some deteriorating to the point that they can no longer be identified. The District Security Committee decided to bury the bodies based on recommendations from health experts, who warned that keeping decomposing bodies without proper refrigeration could increase the risk of infections and epidemics.
The district administration said the unidentified and unclaimed bodies will be buried in a respectful, safe and lawful manner in accordance with the Management of Unidentified and Abandoned Bodies (First Amendment) Directive, 2083.
As part of the process, DNA samples will be collected from all the bodies and recorded under individual code numbers to facilitate future identification. The bodies will be buried at Devghat in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-1 starting today.
The District Administration Office has apologized to the families of the victims for the inconvenience caused by the extraordinary circumstances.
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