Bowring Hospital DNA desk has been established in Bengaluru to collect samples from relatives of Karnataka residents reported missing after flash floods in Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region, helping authorities identify unidentified bodies and facilitate their repatriation.
Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital has been designated as Bengaluru’s nodal centre for the process. A separate desk at the hospital will collect samples from first-degree relatives, including parents, spouses, siblings and children of people reported missing after the floods.
A nodal officer told Deccan Herald that DNA profiling would be used when identification through photographs or other available details is not possible. The samples will be sent to the State Forensic Science Laboratory in Madiwala, where they will be profiled and compared with DNA profiles prepared by authorities in Nepal.
Relatives approaching the hospital have been asked to carry a recent photograph of the missing person, identity proof and documents establishing their relationship with the person. The dedicated desk is intended to streamline sample collection and coordination for families awaiting information about those missing.
Three people had submitted samples as of Saturday evening, according to the nodal officer, with more expected to provide samples over the following two days. The process is designed to support the identification of bodies that cannot be confirmed through photographs or other available records.
Several Karnataka residents were reported missing after flash floods hit areas along the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26. Details compiled by the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority show that around 26 Karnataka residents, including 17 from Bengaluru, remain missing in Nepal.
The DNA collection is part of the identification and repatriation process involving authorities in Karnataka, the State Forensic Science Laboratory and officials in Nepal. Families seeking clarification or assistance can contact the Greater Bengaluru Authority helpline at 1533. The next steps are the submission of samples by relatives, forensic profiling in Madiwala and comparison with DNA profiles prepared by authorities in Nepal.
