Portuguese authorities have received a formal request to send DNA samples to help identify two Portuguese women missing after heavy flooding in Nepal.
A third Portuguese national who had also been reported missing following the disaster was found alive, according to reports from Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha.
Portugal's National Institute of Legal Medicine will collect biological samples from family members of the two missing women to assist international forensic efforts.
Devastation and mass graves in Nepal
Search and rescue operations across affected regions face extreme conditions as the list of unaccounted people continues to increase. Entire villages have been buried under tons of mud following torrential downpours.
Local morgues in Nepal have completely run out of storage capacity. The lack of space has forced local authorities to bury disaster victims in mass graves before formal identification can take place.
Nepal, a mountainous South Asian nation located in the Himalayas, frequently experiences severe rainstorms and mudslides during its rainy season. The sudden flood severely damaged local infrastructure and border areas.
Disappearances reported by family members
Relative reports triggered the search for both missing citizens after communications were disrupted across affected areas.
One of the missing Portuguese women had traveled to Nepal to attend a spiritual retreat. She was present at a border post that was completely destroyed by the floodwaters. A family member contacted Portuguese authorities to report her missing.
A relative of the second missing woman also alerted officials to her disappearance. The victim, a dual Portuguese and Ukrainian citizen, was known to be in the country when the floods occurred.
Forensic identification process
Forensic identification through DNA comparison becomes critical when disaster victims cannot be identified visually. Legal medicine institutes collect reference genetic samples from immediate relatives to compare against recovered remains.
Portuguese authorities have not released the names of the missing women while sample collection and coordination with officials in Nepal continue.
