Forensic experts in Lahore were on Saturday supplied with DNA samples of 57 unidentified victims, who had lost their lives in tragic train fire incident near Rahim Yar Khan on Thursday, for their identifications, the process which hospital officials claimed will take 10 days.
The DNA tests are required to identify as many as 57 charred bodies before they could be handed over to the relatives for burial.
The unidentifiable bodies have been shifted to Rahim Yar Khan’s Shaikh Zayed Hospital. The injured are undergoing treatment at the Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, and Nishtar Hospital Multan.
Meanwhile, another injured of Tezgam tragedy succumbed to injuries in Multan’s Nishtar Hospital, raising the death toll to 75. Liaquat Ali had been shifted to the Nishtar Hospital where he breathed his last. The treatment of nine injured of the tragedy, who were shifted to Multan’s Nishtar Hospital, continues and among them five are in a critical condition. The administration of Nishtar Hospital has said that all-out efforts are being done to save the lives of the injured. It said that one of the injured is in very critical condition whose treatment is continued at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Police have, meanwhile, filed a case against the unidentified persons. The investigation teams have collected evidences from the incident spot and it is being considered to make forensic experts part of the ongoing investigations.
The Tezgam caught fire allegedly due to explosion in gas canisters used by Tableeghi Jamaat passengers to cook breakfast. Television footage showed flames pouring out of the carriages as people could be heard crying. Many commuters died and several were injured when they jumped from the moving train to escape the flames.
Survivors said it took nearly 20 minutes for the train to stop, amid contradictory reports about whether the train’s brakes and the safety cords were working or not.
Many of the victims were members of Tableeghi Jamaat travelling to Lahore for their annual congregation in Raiwind. The train was carrying 857 passengers, including 550 members of the preaching group. The fire apparently started in two compartments the Tableeghi Jamaat members were riding in.
