Jammu, Jan. 30 -- Nearly six months after a devastating cloudburst and flash floods ravaged the remote Chashoti village of Machail tehsil in Kishtwar district, the 31 persons reported missing in the tragedy are likely to be officially declared dead, with authorities initiating DNA matching to establish their identities.
On Thursday, the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratory (DFSL) forwarded the DNA profiling report of the relatives of the 31 missing pilgrims to the concerned investigating officer and the government.
During the massive post-disaster search operations, only mutilated bodies and severed body parts of some pilgrims were recovered, making identification impossible at the time.
The DNA report is expected to help formally ...