10 days after Nepal flash floods, DNA profiling of missing relatives begins in Thanjavur

10 days after Nepal flash floods, DNA profiling of missing relatives begins in Thanjavur 

Deepak.Karthik@timesofindia.com  06.09.2026

Trichy: Ten days after flash floods in Nepal left several Tamil Nadu tourists untraceable, DNA profiling of their first-degree relatives began at Thanjavur Medical College Hospital on Saturday. In the first phase, family members of 23 missing tourists gave blood samples for profiling. The autosomal STR DNA profiles of the relatives are expected to be shared online with Nepali authorities within 3-5 days for comparison with DNA profiles obtained from unidentified mortal remains of the flood victims. 

The profiling is being carried out through the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Pillayarpatti near Thanjavur. A dedicated team at Thanjavur Medical College Hospital is collecting blood samples from relatives between 10am and 4pm. “We have not set any deadlines for the camp. As long as the family members of the missing tourists show up, the camp shall continue,” Dr E Manimekala, dean, Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, told TOI. On the first day, 23 relatives of 23 tourists who have been missing since the August 26 Nepal flash floods gave their samples. The missing tourists hail from Karur, Trichy, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Mayiladuthurai districts. Officials said some relatives had enquired about giving samples in the next few days, while others who were unaware of the development were expected to visit the hospital on Sunday. 

“A few are reluctant to appear for the DNA profiling, which indirectly acknowledges that their family members could have been killed in the floods. Families still believe that the missing people shall be traced,” an official said. About 85 tourists from Tamil Nadu, who were part of different Kailash Mansarovar tour groups, remain untraceable. At least 16 of them are from Thanjavur district. Collector R Revathi said the Thanjavur district administration was in touch with the families and coordinating with authorities to plan further action.

Nepal flash floods: 220 of 350 Tamils safe, efforts are on to trace others, Advocate-General tells HC

Nepal flash floods: 220 of 350 Tamils safe, efforts are on to trace others, Advocate-General tells HC

Security personnel and others at an army base camp during a rescue and relief operation in Rasuwa district, Nepal. PTI

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI. 03.09.2026

Advocate-General (A-G) Vijay Narayan on Wednesday told the Madras High Court that 220 out of 350 Tamils reportedly stranded in Nepal following flash floods were safe, and that the State government had provided free air tickets for the return of a few, besides issuing air tickets to Kathmandu for the relatives of others who were missing.

Appearing before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, the A-G said that a total of 305 Tamils had travelled to Nepal from Tamil Nadu, and another 45 Tamils (36 from other countries and nine from other States) had gone there from elsewhere. He said 220 of them were reported safe, as of 6 p.m. on September 1.

The A-G said 57 people, including retired Madras High Court judge V. Sivagnanam, had gone to Nepal on a spiritual tour via Super Yatra Travels in Kumbakonam. Twenty-one of them had been rescued, while the remaining 36 were unreachable. The brother of a missing woman named Tiripurasundari was issued a free air ticket to Kathmandu, and he had provided a sample for DNA testing (to help identify his missing sister), he said.

Similarly, air tickets at the government’s expense had been provided to three more persons, including the retired judge’s son, S. Gnanasambandam. Three officials from the Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi had been stationed in Kathmandu to provide assistance in tracing the missing Tamils, and a help centre set up by the Tamil Nadu government had received 2,336 calls so far, the A-G said.

He said all 150 persons who had gone on a spiritual tour through Aathma Yoga, a tour operator, had returned to their native places in Tamil Nadu. As for the 39 others who had gone on the Kailash Yatra through Ideal Tours and Trekking, all of them had reached New Delhi between August 30 and September 1, and had proceeded to their native places after being received by Minister for Non-Resident Tamils Welfare K. Thennarasu, the A-G said.

Efforts were continuing through the Indian Embassy to contact 49 Tamils who had gone on a tour through Mahadev Kailash Yatra Travels, Chennai. Further, of the 10 other persons who were reported missing through the helplines, five have reached Tamil Nadu. One of them, Abhishek of the Nilgiris district, was provided a free air ticket from Nepal to Coimbatore, he added.

The other five Tamils had gone to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, and had decided to return to Tamil Nadu a few days later, he said. “The State government has been making continuous efforts to trace the missing Tamils and bring them back safely,” the A-G said in response to a public interest litigation petition filed by an advocate, seeking the rescue of all the Tamils, including the retired judge.

After taking note of the A-G’s submissions, the judges directed the Centre and the State government to file a further status report after a week.

A week on, Nepal movesto rehab as hopes of finding survivors fade

A week on, Nepal movesto rehab as hopes of finding survivors fade

Vishant.Agarwala@timesofindia.com 03.09.2026

Trishuli Bazaar (Nepal): The govt in Nepal has shifted its focus from rescue to relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction a week after the Aug 26 Bhote Koshi flood as hopes of finding survivors across most of the devastated corridor recede. 

Search teams, however, continued digging into hydropower tunnels where workers could still be alive in chambers or air pockets. Nepal Police on Wednesday put the toll at 1,127 dead and 4,858 missing. For Indian families, uncertainty continued: New Delhi’s last detailed missing-person update listed 275 nationals and 128 persons of Indian origin, or PIOs, as missing or uncontactable. India subsequently said 163 of its nationals had been rescued in Nepal, but did not issue a revised missing count. Across the border in Tibet, Chinese authorities raised the toll to 21 dead and 541 missing. The missing there included 49 Indians.

Owners missing, dog stays put at flood-hit home

Owners missing, dog stays put at flood-hit home

 Vishant.Agarwala@timesofindia.com 01.09.2026

Trishuli Bazaar (Nepal): A black-and-white dog, its collar still intact, has refused to leave the site of a row of four homes washed away in last week’s flood in Trishuli Bazaar, remaining in the same muddy patch even as half a dozen JCBs and rescuers clear timber, silt, and debris around him. He barely reacts to strangers, does not wag his tail at all, and keeps returning to what used to be the front entrance of one of the houses. 

Volunteer relief worker Bikram Thapa told TOI that workers initially tried offering biscuits and calling him by common pet names. “... He doesn’t even turn his head. His collar is intact,” he said. Sunil Tamang, who has been working on debris clearance, said even the roar of heavy machinery operating only metres away failed to move the dog. “In the middle of all the heavy JCB engines and clearing operations, he just sits in that muddy pool,” Tamang told TOI. 

“Not a single wag of his tail. He refuses to cross the boundary of where his yard used to end.” Tamang said the dog showed no panic even when excavators moved close to the spot. He would occasionally lift his head at the sound of an approaching vehicle or people moving through the debris but then settle back in the same place once they passed. The dog’s home, like the rest of the small neighbourhood around it, no longer exists. The flood washed away the row of houses and erased familiar boundaries, leaving only mud, debris, and scattered remains of structures. 

Nobody working at the site could identify his owners or say which of the four homes he belonged to, but his repeated return to the same former doorway and refusal to move beyond what used to be the yard suggested this had been his territory. Community animal rescue volunteer Rita Gurung said workers eventually stopped trying to make him leave and instead began placing dry food and water nearby. “We keep leaving dry rations near him every few hours,” Gurung told TOI. “He only takes a bite when the road is quiet.” Displaced resident Maya Adhikari said most dogs in the area moved towards higher ground when the flood struck, but this one stayed around the destroyed houses. 

“This was his territory, his family’s courtyard,” she said.  A local shopkeeper said residents who had themselves lost homes had begun watching out for him. “We lost our homes, but we understand what happened,” he said. “He doesn’t understand why everyone disappeared — he just knows he isn’t supposed to leave until they return.” Vishant V Agarwala The dog just sits in the muddy pool, and doesn’t even wag its tail

Nepal toll hits 955; 4,471 missing as tunnel searchers push deeper

Nepal toll hits 955; 4,471 missing as tunnel searchers push deeper 

FULL COVERAGE: P 14 

At least 955 people were killed in flash floods and 4,471 missing across Nepal and Tibet by Monday evening — 639 of Nepal’s 3,925 missing people being linked to hydropower projects, report Vishant Agarwala and Kalyan Das. As many as 27 hydropower plants across Nepal were damaged and around 12 “virtually destroyed”, Australian tunnelling expert Arnold Dix said, underlining the scale of destruction along Bhote Koshi-Trishuli. 

Nepal Army spokesman Brig Gen Rajaram Basnet told TOI a rescue team entered Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project tunnel, where 14 people had been feared trapped. “The team, equipped with searchlights and drones, reached the end of the 250m-deep tunnel. However, they failed to find any trace of any person after much effort and returned.” At Chilime Hydropower Project, another joint team comprising foreign experts entered around 100m before encountering a section buried under mud and silt. One of the most difficult operations was at Trishuli-3A, where teams carried out a controlled blast around 2am on Monday, Nepal time, to create an entry portal after struggling to breach the buried tunnel.

219 more Tamils traced in Nepal, set to return today, says Rajmohan

219 more Tamils traced in Nepal, set to return today, says Rajmohan 

31.08.2026 TIMES OF INDIA CHENNAI EDITION

Chennai: State school education minister A Rajmohan said 219 more people who had travelled from Tamil Nadu to Nepal have been traced. “We have gathered information that as many as 319 people from Tamil Nadu had travelled to Nepal in batches. We have found that 219 people are safe and secure. They will be reaching Chennai by Aug 31. 

The remaining one hundred-odd people are missing,” Rajmohan told reporters at Chennai airport late on Saturday night after his return from New Delhi. The minister said govt was not only focusing on tracing the pilgrims who travelled from Tamil Nadu, but also Tamils who went to Nepal from places such as Bengaluru and Malaysia. 

So far 21 Tamils who managed to escape the flash floods in Bhotekoshi river were brought to Delhi and flown to Chennai. Rajmohan said they were part of a 57 member group who travelled through a Thanjavur based agency. The remaining members remain untraceable, he said. While chief minister C Joseph Vijay had deputed four ministers to New Delhi to coordinate with central agencies on the rescue efforts, minister for non-resident Tamils welfare department K Thennarasu continued to camp in Delhi and facilitate the return of rescued Tamils. Rajmohan said the belongings of the missing people were found far from the place they were last seen. “The terrain is tough. Armed forces of two countries are involved in rescue efforts. Everyone is working together,” he said. Times News Network

Search intensifies for 900 missing at hydel units, 1 tunnel head located

Search intensifies for 900 missing at hydel units, 1 tunnel head located 

FULL COVERAGE: P 5, 16 

Deaths Rise To 810, Over 3,000 Missing 

Vishant Agarwala & Kalyan Das 

Nuwakot (Nepal)/Dehradun: Time running out for more than 900 people missing from Nepal’s flood-hit hydropower projects, rescue teams led by Nepalese Army personnel intensified operations to search for survivors, particularly at Upper Trishuli-3A, where they located the tunnel’s crown head and began widening an opening to send rescuers inside with oxygen cylinders. 

While the Independent Power Producers’Association Nepal said 537 workers and staff were unaccounted for across nine projects, Nepal’s disaster management authority, NDRRMA, stated that 933 workers from hydropower projects were untraced. The number of dead rose to 810 Sunday — 794 in Nepal and 16 reported in Tibet — with 3,048 missing across both countries, as search ops entered a fifth day. 

NDRRMA listed 2,502 people missing and Tibet another 546. Nepal said 592 foreign nationals were among those missing, besides 127 Nepalese citizens travelling with foreign groups. MEA said at 5.30pm Sunday that 149 Indian nationals had been rescued in Nepal. Its latest missing-person tally, issued Saturday night, listed 275 Indian nationals missing or uncontactable and another 128 people of Indian origin as uncontactable. India had also not announced a confirmed number of Indian deaths by Sunday evening. 

Efforts to hunt for survivors at the nine hydropower projects picked up pace as weather improved slightly. Road access to Upper Trishuli-3A remained cut off, forcing Nepalese Army to airlift dismantled excavators, bulldozers and other earth-moving machinery to the project area using helicopters. Joint teams operated the machines through the night despite rain and moved closer to the tunnel entry point. Nepalese Army spokesperson Brig Gen Rajaram Basnet told TOI that the team, which included tunnel experts, had located the crown head — the main section — of Trishuli 3A using excavators and hydraulic cutters. “A hole of 2x3ft was dug, which revealed a water surface spanning a diameter of around seven metres and extending to a significant height. An  expert from the army rescue team entered the hole area and assessed the situation while looking for any human life there, but with no luck so far,” Basnet said. Photo: AFP

Nepal begins shallow burials after preserving DNA; only 29 flood victims identified so far

Nepal begins shallow burials after preserving DNA; only 29 flood victims identified so far 

School Ties, Jewellery Become Clues As Unidentified Victims Get Tracking Code 

Vishant.Agarwala@timesofindia.com 31.08.2026

Nuwakot, Nepal: Authorities in Nepal began temporarily burying unidentified victims of Bhote Koshi-Trishuli-Narayani flood in shallow graves after collecting DNA and forensic evidence as morgues overflowed and remains recovered far downstream became increasingly difficult to identify. 

An update issued on Sunday evening said only 29 of the 650-plus bodies had been identified even as recoveries continued along the roughly 200km river system. Nepal Police spokesperson DIG Abi Narayan Kafle told TOI that 211 of the first 669 recovered remains were mutilated, partial or severed. “Many remains were buried under thick mud and water for two to three days,” he said. 

Bodies swept dozens of km from Rasuwa were recovered in Nuwakot, Chitwan, Gorkha, Tanahun and Nawalparasi, far from where victims disappeared. Chitwan became the biggest pressure point. By Sunday, 259 bodies had been recovered along Trishuli and Narayani riverbanks but only nine identified. 

Authorities began moving unidentified remains to Devghat forest after post-mortem and DNA collection, with 26 placed underground in the first batch. The process was designed so that burial does not end a family’s search for closure — every body was assigned an identification number; photographs, physical features, clothes, jewellery and other belongings were recorded, while DNA, fingerprints and other forensic samples were preserved. Burial locations were geo-tagged so remains could later be located if relatives established identity. “If family members come forward in the future to claim a missing relative, these scientific and legal records will allow us to confirm identity and locate the exact burial plot,” Kafle said. Gorkha district also buried 29 unidentified bodies and body parts after collecting DNA. “Gorkha does not have sufficient mortuary facilities, and bodies are being recovered every day,” chief district officer Tulsi Prasad Shrestha said. 

For families, identification increasingly depended on small personal details. More than 1,000 relatives reached Pokhara on Saturday to examine photographs of 102 bodies brought from downstream districts. Police said families recognised loved ones through tattoos, necklaces, earrings and even school uniforms. One father from Bidur identified his five-year-old son after seeing a photograph online. The clues were the child’s school tie, necklace and earring. “Where faces are not recognisable, relatives are identifying bodies through other things on their person,” police inspector Deepak Rijal said. “More relatives are continuing to arrive.” Getty Images Marker plates are prepared for the unidentified victims. They will be buried at a mass burial site at Devghat forest in Bharatpur