Pretoria: Six South African nationals remain unaccounted for following the devastating flash floods in Nepal, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) confirmed.
According to South African Government News Agency, DIRCO stated that after a formal request from the Nepalese government, arrangements were made with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to collect and coordinate DNA profiles from biological relatives of the missing individuals. The Victim Identification Centre under the SAPS Division: Detectives and Forensic Services collected these profiles, which have been sent to police in Nepal and Interpol in Kathmandu for further investigation.
South African diplomatic missions in New Delhi, India, and Beijing, China, are actively coordinating with their host countries to respond to the disaster. DIRCO expressed their commitment to monitoring the situation closely. "Regrettably, there is still no confirmation from the authorities in Nepal or China/Tibet regarding any of the six South African nationals. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates to the families as more information becomes available," DIRCO said.
