KUALA LUMPUR: As of yesterday, the next of kin of 25 of the 55 Malaysians still unaccounted for following the floods and landslides in Nepal had submitted DNA samples to assist in identifying victims.
Dr R. Manivanna, a representative of Malaysian Solidarity: Families in Hope (MASFIH), said he was among those who had provided samples, together with four other family members, to facilitate the identification process.
His sister, Komathi Rethinam, 48, is among those still missing after travelling to the region on a religious pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, China.
“Yesterday, police officers came to our home in Cheras to collect DNA samples. Five family members provided samples, including her parents, her child and two siblings,” he said when contacted by Bernama here today.
Manivanna said some next of kin had been asked to provide their samples at the district police headquarters, adding that the authorities aimed to complete the collection process from all affected families this week.
He said the next of kin had also been asked to provide the victims’ personal belongings, such as toothbrushes, hairbrushes and mascara wands, as well as details of their clothing, brand names, mobile phones, footwear and any distinctive physical marks.
“All this information is needed to assist the identification process should any unidentified bodies be found,” he said.
Meanwhile, Manivanna said he had been informed that the Foreign Ministry would send an official team to Kathmandu to assist with consular matters and field operations.
He said the team’s presence is crucial to obtaining first-hand information and facilitating the identification of victims at hospitals and locations where bodies are being held.
“We currently need an official team on the ground to visit hospitals and the sites where the bodies are being kept, to assist with the victim identification process,” he said.
The Foreign Ministry announced last Sunday that the next of kin of Malaysians who remain unaccounted for had been encouraged to undergo DNA testing at their respective state police contingent headquarters.
The measure forms part of preliminary preparations following the discovery of several unidentified bodies in the disaster zone. The bodies had to be buried immediately because suitable storage facilities were unavailable at the site.
Wisma Putra reported that the number of Malaysians who could not be contacted remained at 36 in China and 55 in Nepal following the devastating flash floods and landslides in Nepal’s Rasuwa district on Aug 26.
Anadolu Agency reported that the disaster’s death toll had risen to 1,220, while nearly 4,762 people, including 844 foreign nationals, remained missing. – BERNAMA
