Following the devastating floods on August 26 that left thousands missing, Nepal’s Disaster Management Authority has released formal guidelines for families living abroad to submit DNA samples for identification purposes. To ensure accuracy, samples must be provided by biological relatives, with priority given to parents and children, followed by siblings. If immediate family is unavailable, other blood relatives may step in; however, spouses, adopted family members, and in-laws are ineligible as they do not share the necessary genetic markers.

Samples must be processed at an authorized government or private forensic laboratory, and donors should present the technical requirements specified by the authorities to the lab staff. Once the testing is complete, families are required to submit the official DNA reports—specifically in XML and CMF formats along with an EPG—via email to the Nepal Police at [email protected]. Along with these reports, donors must provide a signed consent letter and a copy of their national photo identification. The authorities have emphasized that all genetic data will remain strictly confidential and will be used exclusively for the purpose of identifying the missing victims.