Police is expecting to handover bodies of 14 victims, out of total 19 unidentified ones, victims of the deadly blaze at Chawkbazar in Dhaka, to families within two weeks.
It will take at least three weeks or more to identify the remaining five bodies, said Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials.
At a press briefing at CID headquartersyesterday, its Additional Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sheikh Md Rezaul Haider said they have collected DNA samples from 38 people in connection with 19 unidentified bodies.
“We have not been able to identify 19 bodies out of total 67. Rest of the bodies have been handed over to families through district administration office. We have collected samples from 38 people as claimant of those 19 bodies for cross-matching,” he said.
According to him, samples from muscle have been collected from 14 bodies and their identity can be announced within maximum 15 days.
“Since the rest five bodies are critically burnt, samples have been collected from bones. It will be three weeks before we can extract a sample and then match the DNA,” said Haider.
Responding to a query over investigation into the fire spot, the official said if fire service seeks its help, the CID may help them examine the samples via its chemical lab in Mohakhali.
According to CID, it has collected 257 DNA samples from 67 bodies received by Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue.
At least 67 people were killed and 41 others injured on Wednesday night after a devastating fire broke out at a chemical warehouse and raged through several nearby buildings at Chawkbazar in Old Dhaka.
