Wayanad Landslides: Kerala Govt Collects DNA Samples, Ration Card Details to Identify Missing People

The Kerala government is working to identify missing individuals from a recent landslide in Wayanad by collecting blood samples from survivors and relatives for DNA analysis. The Civil Supplies Department is gathering details like ration cards and Aadhaar numbers to aid in identification.

Wayanad: The Kerala government has initiated steps to identify the missing people in the landslide that hit the Mundakkai region of Wayanad district and started collecting the blood samples of survivors and relatives for DNA analysis.

While the health department has begun collecting blood samples for DNA analysis, the Civil Supplies Department has started collecting the details of ration cards, the Aadhaar number, and linked phone numbers to identify the missing people.

The samples, from the blood relatives, are collected for DNA testing in order to identify the dead bodies and body parts which are yet to be identified.

"In the first phase, DNA samples from unidentified bodies were collected. The samples of the survivors and the relatives will be compared with those collected from the unidentified bodies," the health department said in a release. The samples are collected from the survivors and relatives after giving them counselling, the release said.

The Civil Supplies department has provided the details to the panchayat officials to identify the missing persons. According to State Revenue Minister K Rajan, till date, 221 bodies and 166 body parts have been recovered.

He said that the number of missing persons has gone down to 180 from the earlier 206 after authorities were able to get in touch with some of them over the phone.

Search operations also continued along the Chaliyar River that flows through Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode. The river has become a haunting symbol of destruction after the bodies of those who died in the Wayanad landslides washed up on its banks.

The total number of bodies found in the Chaliyar River is 75, and body parts are 142, making a grim total of 217, officials said.