Nepal, Sept. 9 -- Unlike the 2015 earthquake, when the death toll could be accurately tallied relatively quickly, the number of bodies retrieved after the Trisuli Flood two weeks ago is one-fifth of those reported missing.

Rescuers fear that the actual number of dead may be much higher, and many of the bodies may never be found. However, of immediate concern is identifying the bodies and body parts found so far. The task has been complicated by the lack of DNA analysis capacity in labs in Nepal, and the fact that about 600 of the missing within Nepal are foreigners.

Forensic DNA testing is a fairly straightforward identification tool and entails the collection of samples of skin, hair, or more commonly, blood of a relative and matching...