DNA tests being run to identify bodies of flood victims: Himachal DGP

The Himachal Pradesh police are running DNA tests to identify the bodies being recovered from rivers and drains as the families of people who went missing in the recent floods in the state pin their hopes on search operations.

Addressing mediapersons on Friday, Himachal Pradesh DGP Sanjay Kundu said as the dead bodies flowing along with the flooded rivers and drains wash up on the riverbanks after several days, the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) teams have been instructed to keep a close watch on the banks of Sutlej and Beas rivers.

The police personnel have been asked to take immediate possession of the recovered bodies and ensure their identification and accordingly initiate necessary action, Kundu said. He advised people wandering in search of their near and dear ones after the disaster to contact the police. Himachal Pradesh is the first state in the country to create a DNA database of unidentified dead bodies. The process was started in April last year and over 150 DNA samples of unidentified bodies have been stored in the database so far, officials said.

According to the DGP, until Friday, about 70,000 people had been rescued in the state. Most of the people evacuated safely were tourists. Around 12,000 stranded tourist vehicles have been evacuated. As many as 697 foreign tourists from 29 countries have also been rescued.

He said that a police post at AIIMS here and a traffic-cum-tourist police station sanctioned on the Kiratpur-Manali highway here will start functioning from August 15. The police station will initially run from Sadar Thana Bilaspur and later be shifted to a permanent building once the construction is ready.

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