13 bodies recovered from river in UP after Nepal floods, identification underway

As the aftermath of the devastating floods in Nepal continues, bodies are being washed downstream into Uttar Pradesh through the Narayani-Gandak river system. So far, 13 bodies have been recovered in Kushinagar, including those of six men and seven women, officials said.

The district administration and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been maintaining a close watch on the river and retrieving bodies as they are spotted. Along with human remains, carcasses of animals have also been found floating downstream from Nepal.

Of the 13 bodies recovered in Kushinagar, six have been kept in deep freezers at the mortuary of the Kushinagar Medical College, while seven have been sent to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Gorakhpur. The identification process is underway.

Kushinagar in-charge District Magistrate Vandita Srivastava said the bodies were being preserved as per protocol and that necessary procedures, including post-mortem examinations, would be completed before they are handed over to the Nepal administration.

The district administration is also sharing details of the recovered bodies with the Nepal government through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to facilitate identification and help reunite the remains with the victims' families.

4 BODIES HANDED OVER TO NEPAL IN UP'S MAHARAJGANJ

In a related development, four unidentified bodies recovered from the Narayani-Gandak river in Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district were handed over to the Nepal administration after post-mortem examinations, officials said.

The bodies of three women and a man were recovered on August 27 and kept at the Maharajganj district hospital mortuary after their identities could not be established. DNA samples were collected from all four bodies during the post-mortem examination to aid identification.

Additional District Magistrate Prashant Kumar said all necessary legal and administrative formalities had been completed before the bodies were handed over to Nepal Police.

The DNA data will also be shared with the Nepal administration as per procedure to help match the samples with those of families searching for missing persons, officials said.

BODIES WASHED DOWNSTREAM AMID NEPAL FLOODS

The recoveries in Maharajganj began on August 27, when three bodies, including those of two women, were found in the Gandak river. An SSB rescue team monitoring the river spotted the bodies and retrieved them using a motorboat.

By August 28, four bodies had been recovered and kept at the district hospital mortuary. Authorities were in touch with Nepal officials to ascertain their identities and check whether they were among those reported missing following the floods and landslides.

Maharajganj shares a border with Nepal and had earlier sounded a high alert following the flash floods in the neighbouring country. The district administration has been keeping a continuous watch on river levels and water bodies receiving water from Nepal as strong currents carry debris and bodies downstream into Indian territory.

The death toll from the flash floods in Nepal rose to 903 on Monday, while 4,247 people remained missing, according to authorities.