KATHMANDU: The management of dead bodies in unrecognizable condition has begun with the burial after keeping their DNA safe.

The dead bodies were retrieved from various places following the catastrophic flash flood that ripped through Rasuwa district on August 26.

The inhumation of the unidentified bodies is being carried out as per the ‘Directive on Management of Unidentified Bodies and Unattended Dead Bodies (first amendment), 2026’.

The government is forwarding the process to inter the corpses by keeping the DNA and other marks safe. Later, the inhumed bodies will however be exhumed and handed over to the concerned families for last rites with the DNA ‘matching’.

The Directive has a provision that if the heir of the deceased one is identified in the future, the interred body or organ should be exhumed and handed over to the family in a respectful manner.

Spokesperson at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Anand Kafle, made it clear that the ongoing efforts to management dead bodies were in line with the law.

He refuted the attempts made to create confusion among public on management of the corpses. “We have followed the Directive while managing the dead bodies. We have also completed scientific process. So, we request the public not to spread confusion on this issue.”

In this connection, a public health expert at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under the Department of Health Services, Dr Amrit Pokharel, said, “The risk of public health may increase once the dead bodies are left unattended for a long time. That’s why, underground management of the bodies is essential.”

Collecting DNA samples of the unidentified bodies and human organs and keeping them safe before inhumation is a scientific and responsible move, he reminded.

As the government protects the DNA samples of each corpse, the relatives of the deceased would be able to identify these later. Each body is given a separate and unique identification number.

Since the records such as the details of the body, identification number and DNA samples are kept safely, anyone claiming to be their relative can identify by undergoing scientific testing.

The Directive has finely mentioned the respectful handover of the deceased one to the respective family/heirs once they are identified in the future. The government follows the very Directive while managing the corpses, it is informed.