Mumbai: With several tourists and pilgrims missing in the wake of the flash floods in Nepal, Maharashtra’s apex mountaineering body, the Akhil Maharashtra Giryarohan Mahasangh (AMGM), has launched massive eff…

Mumbai: With several tourists and pilgrims missing in the wake of the flash floods in Nepal, Maharashtra’s apex mountaineering body, the Akhil Maharashtra Giryarohan Mahasangh (AMGM), has launched massive efforts to help people navigate the process of identifying bodies recovered from the disaster site. The Maharashtra Mountaineers Rescue Coordination Centre (MMRCC), which coordinates the AMGM rescue efforts, is leading the initiative. AMGM is reaching out to local families and disseminating information about the official identification process being carried out by the Government of Nepal and the Embassy of India, Kathmandu. Relevant information is also being collected and consolidated for coordination with the Government of Maharashtra.Nepal flash floods | Keralam family awaits news of 63-year-old missing woman Veteran mountaineer and AMGM President Umesh Zirpe is personally in touch with Maharashtra government’s Disaster Management Unit’s Director Bhalchandra Chavan.“Under the initiative, district-level mountaineering associations affiliated with the AMGM will reach out to families of missing persons and provide them with information on the identification of recovered bodies. Details collected from the families will also be consolidated and shared with the Maharashtra government for further coordination,” Zirpe said. “The flood disaster in Nepal has affected hundreds of families in Maharashtra, with many families still awaiting information about their missing relatives. For such families, receiving timely and accurate information is extremely important to help them move beyond the prolonged uncertainty and proceed with the next steps. The identification of deceased persons, particularly in cases where DNA matching is required, is a highly time-sensitive process. The sooner the information and samples of family members reach the appropriate authorities, the sooner action can be initiated in the concerned case,” added Zirpe. According to him, arrangements are being made to facilitate collection of DNA samples at the Primary Health Centres. “Timely and accurate information was crucial for families facing prolonged uncertainty and would help them proceed with the next stages of the repatriation and identification process,” he said. “MMRCC’s long-standing experience in the mountainous regions of Nepal, along with its extensive network across Maharashtra, enables it to act as a bridge between bereaved families in remote parts of the state and the official identification process being conducted in Kathmandu,” he added. The objective of MMRCC is to collect all relevant information through a single, organised mechanism so that no affected family in Maharashtra is left without guidance and the State Government has complete and reliable information required for further action.MMRCC WhatsApp/Phone: 9325011719 / 9881099793MMRCC Google Form: https://forms.gle/GWXJ3Cs2iYu898Gn7Nepal Police website: https://udb.nepalpolice.gov.np/disasters

Source: Deccan Herald