Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital has been designated as Bengaluru’s nodal centre for collecting DNA samples from relatives of Karnataka residents reported missing after flash floods in Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region, officials said.
A separate DNA desk has been established at the hospital to collect samples from first-degree relatives and support the identification of unidentified bodies and their repatriation to Karnataka. The initiative covers residents reported missing after floods struck areas along the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26.
“DNA profiling will be used in cases where identification through photographs or other available details is not possible,” a nodal officer told Deccan Herald.
Parents, spouses, siblings and children of missing persons can approach the designated nodal officers at Bowring Hospital for sample collection. Relatives have been asked to carry a recent photograph of the missing person, identity proof and documents establishing their relationship.
The samples collected in Bengaluru will be sent to the State Forensic Science Laboratory in Madiwala. They will be used for profiling and comparison with DNA profiles prepared by authorities in Nepal, according to the report.
Three people had submitted samples at the desk by Saturday evening, with more relatives expected to approach the hospital over the following two days. The facility is intended to streamline the collection process for families waiting for clarity about the whereabouts of missing relatives.
Data compiled by the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority indicates that around 26 Karnataka residents, including 17 from Bengaluru, remain missing in Nepal after the flash floods. The figures cover people reported missing in the affected areas and form the basis for the identification effort.
The DNA collection process is part of the coordination between Karnataka authorities, the forensic laboratory and authorities in Nepal. It is expected to assist cases in which visual identification or available personal details cannot establish the identity of recovered bodies.
Relatives seeking clarification or assistance can contact the Greater Bengaluru Authority helpline at 1533. The hospital’s designated nodal officers will handle sample collection and the documentation required to establish each applicant’s relationship with the missing person.
