Family members of victims killed in a fire at Cox’s Bazar’s TUPTUP Resto & Resort provided DNA samples to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Dhaka on Sunday to help identify their remains.
Of the 10 tourists killed in the fire, six were members of the same extended family — four girls and two boys who were cousins. Their bodies were severely burnt, making identification difficult.
A CID media official confirmed that DNA samples were collected from six relatives on Sunday, while another was expected to provide a sample on Monday.
Zeyadul Kabir travelled from Barguna to Dhaka to provide samples to identify the remains of his son, Mohammad Nafis Istehami, and daughter, Fariha Kabir. He was accompanied by Md Mamunur Rashid, the father of Ishrat Jahan Maliha and Layla Jahan.
Md Nur-e-Alam provided a sample to identify the remains of his seven-year-old son, Faizan Noor, while Shahjahan gave a sample for his daughter, Mithila Mehezabeen Arvi.
Zeyadul Kabir, Mamunur Rashid and Shahjahan are brothers-in-law, while Nur-e-Alam is Zeyadul Kabir’s son-in-law.
Speaking to reporters after providing his sample at the CID office, Zeyadul said the remains of six members of their family had yet to be identified as they were severely burnt.
“We still do not know when their remains will be identified. Officials have assured us that they will use DNA testing to identify the bodies and hand them over to us as soon as possible, but they could not say how long it would take,” he said, his voice breaking.
He urged the authorities to complete the identification process and return the remains to the family as quickly as possible.
“We cannot bring our children back, but we want their remains returned to us as soon as possible after all necessary procedures are completed,” he said.