Chitwan to Bury Unidentified Bodies After Bhote Koshi Flood

KATHMANDU- Authorities in Chitwan will bury unidentified and unclaimed bodies collected following the devastating flood in Bhote Koshi, Rasuwa, on Bhadau 10.

The Chitwan District Administration Office said in a notice issued Saturday that eight of the 233 bodies collected in the district so far had been identified, while 229 bodies were being kept at a holding centre and various health institutions.

The administration said some bodies and human remains kept at holding centres and health institutions, as well as those recovered from riverbanks, had decomposed to the point that they could no longer be identified.

The notice said health experts had assessed that failure to manage the bodies immediately could lead to the spread of infections and epidemics.

Taking those concerns into account, the Chitwan District Security Committee decided at a meeting on Saturday morning to bury all unidentified and unclaimed bodies in accordance with the Guidelines on the Management of Unidentified and Unclaimed Bodies, 2083.

Before burial, DNA samples will be collected from all bodies and records will be maintained using identification numbers.

The administration said the bodies would be buried starting Saturday at an open site in Devghat, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-9.