BANKE: Two months after the devastating Bhotekoshi flash flood, families of those who went missing are still waiting for DNA test results to determine the fate of their loved ones.
Anlal Rokaya of Thapuwa, Ward No. 20 of Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City, said his family had received no information about the DNA results of three relatives who went missing in the disaster.
“We spent this year’s Dashain desperately waiting for the DNA results of our missing family members. We have neither found them alive nor received their bodies, leaving us unable to perform our social and cultural rites,” he said.
Rokaya lost his 19-year-old son, Dipak Rokaya; his 53-year-old elder brother, Sher Singh Rokaya; and his 56-year-old sister-in-law, Bishnumati Rokaya, in the Bhotekoshi flash flood on August 26.
Dipak had travelled to Rasuwa to visit his brother and go to Gosaikunda, but the trip ended in tragedy.
As the only son expected to support and care for the family, Dipak’s disappearance, along with that of two other family members, has left the household devastated.
“If they have died, why have their bodies not been found?” Anlal asked in anguish.
“With the passage of time, we have lost hope that the three members of our family will return alive,” he said, adding that the delay in receiving DNA results had compounded the family’s suffering.
Rokaya had hoped that DNA testing would help identify his missing relatives among the bodies recovered by authorities after the disaster. He provided biological samples for comparison with those of the recovered bodies, but the results have yet to arrive.
The prolonged uncertainty has also prevented the family from performing customary funeral and mourning rites.
Rokaya said the government should provide bereaved families with clear information about the status of those missing or presumed dead in the flood.
“We have neither recovered our family members nor received their bodies. How can we perform their final rites?” he asked.
He said the family would proceed with the necessary rituals once the authorities officially declared his relatives missing or dead, as applicable under the relevant procedures.
Other families are also anxiously waiting for news of their missing relatives. Sixteen-year-old Subash Nepali, his 11-year-old brother Ashwin and their nine-year-old sister Smarika are waiting for information about their parents, Aram Damai and Ujana Damai, who had travelled to Rasuwa in search of a livelihood.
Subash said the children were also awaiting DNA test results to establish the fate of their parents.
Chankra Bahadur Buda, chairperson of Ward No. 20 of Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City, said he had been offering support and consolation to families affected by the disaster.
The local government is providing essential assistance to bereaved families and coordinating educational support for children who lost their parents in the disaster.