In the aftermath of the devastating fire in the city’s Shialbari area, 10 bodies have been identified by their families, according to Brig Gen Md Asaduzzaman, director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
He confirmed that the administration is prepared to hand over the identified bodies to the families upon request.
The fire, which broke out at approximately 11:45am on Tuesday in a chemical warehouse in Rupnagar, quickly spread to a nearby ready-made garment factory. By the evening, fire service officials had recovered 16 bodies from the site.
Md Enamul Haque, Zone Commander of Fire Service Dhaka Sadar-1, confirmed on Tuesday night that the 16 bodies have been placed in the morgue at DMCH under the supervision of local police.
Rupnagar Police Station OC (Investigation) Mokhlesur Rahman added that the remaining bodies will be released to the families only after autopsies and DNA samples are collected. He explained, “Claims have been made for all 16 bodies. These will be verified.
Autopsies and DNA samples will be taken from the bodies, and samples will also be collected from family members. The bodies will only be handed over after proper identification.”
Inspector Md Faruk, in charge of the DMCH hospital police post, stated, “All the bodies are severely burned, making visual identification impossible. Preliminary estimates suggest there are nine male and seven female bodies.”
Relatives of the victims gathered at the DMCH morgue, grieving and holding photographs of their loved ones. Among them was Mahira, who joined her job on the 1st of this month with a salary of Tk 7,500. She is 14 years old and worked on the third floor of Anowar Garments. Her elder sister, Sanzida, 15, also works at another garment factory. Mahira and Sanzida do not have a father.
Although the body was initially identified at the morgue last night, the DNA test and handover process have not yet begun. They are waiting for the body while sitting on a bench at the hospital.
