Gorakhpur (UP), Aug 31: Eleven unidentified bodies believed to have drifted into Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar from Nepal through the Narayani river following the recent flood disaster have been preserved at AIIMS Gorakhpur, officials said.
All the bodies have been kept at the Anatomy Department, while authorities await directions from the state government regarding identification and further procedures.
To facilitate identification, AIIMS is preparing detailed records of each body, documenting physical features, condition of the remains, hair length, clothing and other distinguishing characteristics.
Several bodies were recovered without clothes, making identification more challenging.
The institute is also seeking guidance on the nature of forensic examinations required and the process to be followed thereafter. Given the cross-border nature of the tragedy, further action will be taken in accordance with directions from the state government and the Ministry of External Affairs, officials said.
AIIMS executive director Dr Vibha Dutta said the bodies were being preserved and documented carefully. “No directions have been received yet regarding further examination or disposal. We will proceed as per government instructions,” she said.
The death toll from the flash floods in Nepal rose to 903 on Monday, with more bodies being recovered and nearly 4,250 people still missing following the disaster, authorities said.
Bodies have been recovered from all eight affected districts as rescuers race against time to search for those missing and rescue those stranded on the sixth day since the disaster.
The disaster, believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal on August 26.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the death toll from the flash floods has surged to 903.
So far, 272 bodies have been recovered from Chitwan, 207 from Nawalparasi East, 151 from Nawalparasi West and 62 from Gorkha districts, the NDRRMA said.
Similarly, 95 bodies have been recovered from Nuwakot, 55 from Dhading, 37 from Tanahu and 24 from Rasuwa.
It said 4,247 people are also missing, including 85 security personnel and 320 foreigners. (PTI)
