Overview
- The Department of International Relations and Cooperation confirmed that six South African nationals remain unaccounted for after flash floods in Nepal.
- DIRCO arranged for the South African Police Service to collect DNA from biological relatives through the SAPS Victim Identification Centre to aid identification.
- Collected DNA profiles were forwarded to Nepali authorities and to Interpol's office in Kathmandu for cross-border matching and verification.
- South African diplomatic missions in New Delhi and Beijing are liaising with host-country officials as authorities seek confirmation on the missing people's fate.
- Mountain flash floods can move victims across borders and make on-site ID hard, so forensic and diplomatic cooperation is expected to take time before families receive definitive answers.