Gandaki, Sept 1: Total 102 dead bodies recovered from Nawalpur, Dhading, Tanahu and Gorkha district after the flash floods were brought to Pokhara for the identification and management.
Among these, 16 bodies were identified and handed over to the respective families on Monday, while the remaining unrecognizable ones are planned for underground management meeting legal criteria, according to chief district officer in Kaski, Kuman Singh Gurung. The devastative floods occurred on August 26 had ravaged the infrastructures and settlements on the bank of the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli Rivers, taking a huge toll on human and physical property.
“We are going to manage the remaining dead bodies that are in utter unrecognizable state,” Gurung said, adding that the underground management of the corpse would meet every legal and scientific process such as collection of DNA samples.
Once the DNA samples match later with anyone claiming the bodies, the bodies will be disinterred later and handed over to respective relatives.
The unidentified bodies will be laid to rest as per the Directive relating to management of unidentified and unattended bodies. It was reported that all the bodies kept in the hospital were examined. Anyone visiting the hospitals is provided photo screens to observe the bodies collected. Some relatives are trying to identify their loved ones from the photos.
The district authority is providing the aggrieved relatives with food and shelter. A help desk/room is established in the hospital premises to facilitate ascertaining the bodies.
However, it is quite challenging to identify the lifeless bodies- washed away by the floods for long. Total 41 dead bodies from Nawalpur, 27 from Dhading, 23 from Tanahu and 11 from Gorkha were brought to Pokhara for identification and examination. These are kept at the Pokhara Institute of Health Sciences and the Manipal Teaching Hospital.
