00:00DNA profiling, the search for answers for missing Malaysians.
00:04Police have started collecting DNA samples from the families of the 55 Malaysians
00:09who remain uncontactable after the Nepal-China floods.
00:13Samples are taken from biological relatives such as parents, siblings and children.
00:19Personal items such as toothbrushes and combs used by the individual
00:24will also be collected for sampling purposes.
00:26The samples provided authorities with a way to establish identity if remains are recovered.
00:34DNA profiling is a forensic technique used to establish a person's identity
00:40by examining specific genetic markers.
00:43Each individual has a unique DNA profile and biological relatives such as parents,
00:49siblings and children share genetic markers.
00:52M Subramaniam, whose father-in-law, Krishnan Wadiwelu,
00:56is among those still uncontactable said.
00:58Samples were also taken from his wife and brother-in-law.
01:02Subramaniam says,
01:04DNA profiling is the last hope for families to get closure
01:07and the answers they are desperately seeking.
01:10So what happens after a DNA sample is collected?
01:14The DNA profiles of the relatives are matched with those of the deceased
01:19to establish the likelihood of a biological relationship.
01:24This process is becoming increasingly important as Nepal begins burying the dead,
01:30including unidentified bodies.
01:32Authorities are grappling with overflowing morgs and the rapid decomposition of remains.
01:38But Nepalese authorities say,
01:41DNA samples, records and burial markers collected during the burial process
01:45will be preserved to help with identification.
01:49This means a body that cannot be identified immediately may still be identified later,
01:54once DNA results or other information can be matched.
01:58For the families of the missing Malaysians,
02:01that possibility is significant.
02:04Subramaniam also says,
02:06identification would allow families to prepare for the last rites
02:09if their loved ones are confirmed among the dead.
02:13For now, however, there are still more questions than answer.
02:18As Nepal and China continue recovery and rescue efforts,
02:22families in Malaysia and elsewhere continue to wait for news.
02:27DNA profiling cannot tell them today whether their loved ones are alive.
02:32But if unidentified remains are recovered,
02:35it could provide one of the most reliable ways to establish who they are.
02:39And until then, families can only wait and hope.
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