The four bodies of victims, who died at the Benapole Express train fire at Gopibagh in the capital on January 5, were returned to their families on Thursday.
The bodies of the victims, identified as Alina Yasmin, 40, Abu Talha, 28, and Chandrima Chowdhury Soumi, 28, and Natasha Jesmin, 25, have been returned by Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) authorities after DNA tests confirmed their identities.
Alina Yasmin hailed from Nurpur village in Rajbari town, Abu Talha was a third-year student at Bangladesh Army Science and Technology University in Syedpur, and Chandrima was a pharmacy student at a private university in Dhaka.
Setafur Rahman, sub-inspector of Dhaka railway police station, confirmed the matter.
Ferdous Ahmed Biswas, officer-in-charge of Kamalapur railway police station, said DNA samples of the four charred bodies were kept at the DMCH morgue. The bodies of four people were handed over to their families after a month and 10 days as their DNA profiles matched.
Alina Yasmin hailed from Nurpur village in Rajbari town, Abu Talha was a third-year student at Bangladesh Army Science and Technology University in Syedpur, and Chandrima was a pharmacy student at a private university in Dhaka.
Earlier in the morning, Alina’s uncle said she was travelling to Dhaka with some of her family members after the a special prayer for her late father. “They even talked to me around 6pm that day but after 9pm we could not find Alina anymore after the fire was reported.”
Abu Talha's father Abdul Haque said he was travelling to Dhaka from Faridpur, and their family members could not get a hold of him after he boarded the train.
“After more than a month, his body was identified through a DNA test. Dhaka Medical College Hospital informed me about the identification of Abu Talha's body," he said.
Meanwhile, Chandrima Chowdhury Soumi's uncle Atanu said: "We received a phone call from Dhaka Medical College Hospital last night that Soumi's body was identified through a DNA test. We will bring her body back.”
The tragic incident occurred on the night of January 5 when miscreants set fire to the Benapole Express train in Gopibagh, only two days before 12th national parliamentary election.
Several compartments were engulfed in flames, resulting in the recovery of four bodies and numerous injuries.
On receiving news of the fire, concerned relatives rushed to the scene from different parts of the capital.