DNA identification after the glacial outburst flood
Because many recovered remains can no longer be identified by sight, the authorities are collecting DNA. This guide explains what giving a sample involves, what happens to it, and what a match does — and does not — mean.
Read this first
Who should give a sample
Close blood relatives give the most useful reference samples: a parent, child, brother or sister of the missing person. If that is not possible, give a sample anyway and note your exact relationship — coordinators take it into account when reading comparisons. You do not need an account, and the service is free.
1. Request a sample kit
Apply online with your name, your relative's details and your relationship. You receive a tracking reference immediately — keep it safe. A coordinator reviews the request and tells you where and when to attend.
2. Give your sample
A cheek swab is taken at a collection point or Family Assistance Centre by trained staff. You will be given paperwork with the laboratory name and a laboratory sample reference.
3. The laboratory builds a profile
The laboratory analyses the sample and records a short marker profile — never your full genetic sequence. You can record this paperwork yourself in the family DNA portal.
4. Comparisons are queued and reviewed
Your sample is compared with profiles from unidentified remains. Comparisons only decide which pairings a coordinator looks at first. A person reviews every possible match — nothing is decided automatically.
5. Only an authority confirms
An identification is confirmed only by the responsible authority, recorded with the laboratory report and the authority's own reference. Where remains have already been buried, the burial site and visiting arrangements are shared with the relatives the case has authorised.
Your data and your privacy
- Only a short laboratory marker summary is stored — never a full genetic sequence.
- Your sample details are visible only to you (with your reference and email) and to coordinators.
- You can ask a coordinator to withdraw your sample at any time.
- Nothing about your relative is shown on the tracking pages — only the progress of your own request.