Gandhinagar, Sep 10: The Gujarat government has completed DNA sample collection from relatives of 29 of the 30 people from the state, including Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRGs), who remain missing or uncontactable following the August 26 flash floods in Nepal, particularly along the Nepal-Tibet border and Bhote Koshi River corridor.

The samples are being processed for DNA profiling to help identify bodies and human remains recovered in the disaster. The process for the remaining missing person is also underway.

The Gujarat State Non-Resident Gujaratis’ Foundation (NRGF), under the NRI Division of the General Administration Department, has been coordinating with the families and authorities in India and abroad to facilitate the DNA collection and identification process.

The initiative is being carried out in accordance with guidelines issued by the Central government, under which designated forensic laboratories have been identified for DNA sample collection and profiling of first-degree relatives of missing persons.

DNA profiling at laboratories designated for the purpose is being undertaken free of cost, as directed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Six designated laboratories in Gujarat are facilitating the process, with DNA profiling being undertaken in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Junagadh and Rajkot.

The National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar, is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs on DNA profiling of samples collected in India and their linkage with the identification process in Nepal.

A 10-member NFSU forensic team has also been involved in the identification efforts in Nepal. Nepal Police has separately initiated DNA profiling of recovered bodies and human remains following the incident.

NRGF has been personally contacting relatives of each missing person and guiding them about the designated laboratories, available facilities and the procedure for DNA sample collection and profiling.

It has also been coordinating with NRGs and relatives living abroad to ascertain the action taken by local authorities in their respective countries.

In cases involving relatives in New Zealand, the United States, Canada and African countries, NRGF has obtained information about DNA samples collected by authorities in those countries and the status of the identification process.

In several cases, samples of relatives living abroad have already been collected through the respective local authorities.

The DNA profiling reports are being sent directly by the designated laboratories to Nepalese authorities through the official email addresses and contact numbers notified by the them for the identification exercise.

Nepal Police has also requested first-degree relatives of missing people living abroad to undergo DNA profiling at authorised forensic laboratories in their respective countries.

The Gujarat Government, through the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), district administrations and NRGF, has been coordinating efforts to trace people from the state and Gujaratis living abroad who were reported missing or remain uncontactable after the floods.

A consolidated list of missing and untraceable persons prepared by SEOC and NRGF has also been shared with the Nepal government. So far, 30 people, including NRGs, remain untraceable from the flood-affected areas.

Those reported missing or out of contact include people from Ahmedabad, Anand, Banaskantha, Kheda, Gandhinagar, Surat, Valsad, Rajkot and other parts of Gujarat. Several had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through different travel agencies and routes.

The scale of the disaster has made conventional identification difficult in cases where bodies or human remains have been severely damaged or recovered in parts.

Nepal has therefore begun a large-scale DNA identification exercise, with samples being collected from relatives and compared with DNA obtained from recovered remains.

The DNA-based process is expected to help establish the identities of victims from Gujarat and other parts of India, as well as foreign nationals, and provide families with confirmation about the fate of relatives who remain missing.

Kathmandu, Sep 7: A national day of mourning is being observed on Monday in Nepal in honour of those who lost their lives in the devastating flood that struck the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district on August 26.

A Cabinet meeting held on September 3 decided to observe a national day of mourning on Monday in honour of those who lost their lives in the deadly floods, which occurred 13 days ago.

The national flag was flown at half-mast at government offices across Nepal, as well as at Nepali embassies and diplomatic missions abroad.

According to the Nepal Police, as many as 1,353 bodies of people who died in the floods had been recovered by Sunday evening.

According to the latest details, the recovered bodies include 530 men and 328 women, while 495 bodies were recovered in parts and remain unidentified.

Police said 3,992 people remain out of contact, including 595 foreign nationals.

Police said 1,044 of the recovered bodies have been safely buried, while the identification and management of the remaining bodies are underway.

Meanwhile, Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah has urged elderly people affected by the floods not to feel that they are alone, assuring them that the state and government stand firmly with them.

Issuing a message on social media on Monday, Prime Minister Shah said, “You are not alone. The state is with you, and the government is with you.”

In an emotional statement, Prime Minister Shah noted that during the floods, some elderly parents had to flee to higher ground while clutching their grandchildren with trembling hands, without even caring about their own lives.

They were forced to endure such difficult circumstances in the later years of their lives, he said.

“Even legs that could barely move two steps without the support of a walking stick found extraordinary strength at that moment to save their children,” he added.

Security agencies have continued search and rescue operations for people who remain out of contact, particularly at hydropower projects along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river corridors.

According to the Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal (IPPAN), a representative body of private-sector power developers in Nepal, as many as 919 people employed at 11 hydropower projects remained out of contact as of Sunday evening.

There have been a few successful rescues of people alive from some hydropower projects, including two Nepali nationals from the 60-MW Upper Trishuli 3A project on September 4 and a Chinese national from the 216-MW Upper Trishuli-1 project on September 5.

New Delhi, Sep 7: The Delhi Police have issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against building owner Hariram Bansal following the fatal collapse of the five-storey building in Satya Niketan, as investigations into the incident and responsibility for the tragedy continue.

Police registered an FIR against Bansal and others in connection with the building collapse on Sunday. According to police, the structure was being used as a paying guest (PG) accommodation, and renovation work was allegedly underway in the basement when the building suddenly collapsed.

The five-storey building, known as ‘Hostel Daze’, was operating as a boys’ PG, and several students were staying at the premises when the incident took place. An adjacent building also collapsed, according to eyewitnesses, adding to concerns over the safety and structural condition of buildings in the area.

At least six people have lost their lives in the incident, while five others have been rescued, and the search for those still trapped in the debris is underway at the building collapse site.

A large number of students are feared to be among those trapped in the rubble, as several students from nearby Delhi University colleges were reportedly residing in PG accommodations in the area.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta revisited the collapse site on Monday morning to take stock of the safety measures and review the ongoing rescue and related operations following the tragedy.

The Chief Minister said that an FIR had been registered against the building owner and made it clear that strict action would be taken against Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials if they were found responsible for negligence or lapses in the matter.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), directives have also been issued for the immediate sealing of illegal five-storey buildings across Delhi as part of measures to prevent similar incidents and ensure compliance with safety norms.

“Intensive inspections of nearby PGs and buildings; sealing to follow if violations are found. The Chief Minister made it clear that there would be no compromise on the safety of Delhi’s residents and that no one would be spared in cases of negligence,” the CMO said.

The authorities have stepped up scrutiny of buildings and PG accommodations in the vicinity following the collapse, with inspections aimed at identifying possible violations and taking action wherever required.

Meanwhile, a petition concerning the Satya Niketan building collapse has also been filed before the Delhi High Court, seeking judicial intervention in connection with the incident and the safety concerns arising from it.

The Delhi High Court has assured that the petition will be heard on Monday itself.