The bodies of 13 of the 26 victims of the Bangalore–Nanded Express fire tragedy have been identified.
Police and Railway officials said the ornaments and identity cards recovered from the bodies had helped the identification process.
DNA samples have been taken from the remaining bodies in Anantapur and samples from family members would be collected here to avoid confusion, officials said. The test result could take two days, they said.
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Meanwhile, Home Minister K.J. George told reporters at the Victoria Hospital mortuary that the dead included 12 men, 12 women, and two children.
He said the families of those who have been identified have been made to sign undertakings that they will not burn, but bury the remains of their loved ones. If the DNA test results, which are expected in two to three days, do not corroborate the identification by relatives, the bodies will have to be exhumed.
The names of the victims identified so far include Sudha, Leela , Ramananda, Sarvamangala, C.N. Lalitha, C.M. Padmini, Kulkarni, Anil Kumar, Subhash Patil, H.K.M. Basavaraj, Bheemiah, Premalatha and Champa Rathore.
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“These bodies too were charred beyond recognition. But personal accessories such as ornaments and wristwatches helped identify the 13 persons.” Even the police personnel manning the help desk were asking friends or relatives of those missing to bring the immediate family members so that DNA samples could be collected.
However, a few resented this, stating that the persons were still missing and not declared dead.