CHITWAN, Aug 29: The bodies of people who died in the Bhotekoshi floods in Rasuwa and were later retrieved in Chitwan will be buried after DNA samples are collected for future identification.
A meeting of the District Security Committee held at the District Administration Office on Friday decided to bury the bodies to prevent the spread of infections, as they had begun decomposing and there was insufficient space to keep them in refrigeration.
Of the 233 bodies recovered from the banks of the Narayani and Trishuli rivers in the district, only four have been identified so far, while 229 are being kept at holding centers and various health institutions, said Chief District Officer Ganesh Aryal.
Identified bodies buried in Chitwan to be handed over only afte...
The bodies have started to decompose, with some deteriorating to a point where they can no longer be identified. The District Security Committee decided to bury them based on recommendations from health experts, who warned that keeping bodies without proper refrigeration could pose a risk of infection and disease outbreaks, Aryal said.
The district administration said the unidentified and unclaimed bodies will be buried in a respectful, safe and legal manner in accordance with the Management of Unidentified and Abandoned Bodies (First Amendment) Directive, 2083 BS.
As part of the process, DNA samples will be collected from all the bodies and recorded under individual code numbers to facilitate identification later.
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 any inconvenience caused by the extraordinary circumstances.
