DNA samples collected from the 10 tourists whose bodies were charred beyond recognition in a tragic fire at TupTup Resto & Resort in the Patuartek area of Inani, Ukhiya Upazila, have been sent to Dhaka to confirm their identities.
The devastating fire broke out on Saturday morning at the resort, situated adjacent to the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive. The blaze claimed the lives of 10 tourists, while one person remains missing. A seven-member investigation committee formed by the district administration is currently probing the cause of the fire and overall aspects of the tragedy.
As the bodies were severely burnt, identification through visual inspection has proven impossible, leaving anxious relatives waiting at the Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital mortuary for DNA test results.
On Monday afternoon, Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital Residential Medical Officer (RMO) Dr Subaktagin Mahmud Sohel told TIMES that the entire identification process could take between three and four weeks. He said that samples were collected on Sunday from the 10 bodies kept in the hospital mortuary and handed over to the police that evening.
Dr Sohel explained that hospital authorities will match the DNA profiles extracted from the deceased with reference samples taken from close relatives- such as parents, siblings, or children- to confirm their identities before handing over the bodies to their respective families.
Ukhiya Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Rimon Ghosh of, who is the investigating officer of the police case filed over the resort fire, confirmed that evidence and samples collected from the bodies have been forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) office of Bangladesh Police in Malibagh, Dhaka.
He emphasised that victim identities can only be confirmed once test results are received, noting that cooperation from all concerned is vital to complete the work swiftly.
Meanwhile, grieving families face an agonising wait to receive the remains of their loved ones. Riaz Mahmud Ripon, a resident of Dhaka who lost six family members in the tragedy, said that four members of his family have already provided DNA samples at the CID office in Malibagh, Dhaka. He urged authorities to expedite the DNA testing and hand over the bodies as quickly as possible.
Similarly, Faisal Dewan has been waiting in Cox’s Bazar for two days to receive the body of his wife, Nasrin Akter Mukta. Expressing deep anxiety after being told by hospital authorities that identification could take nearly a month, he called upon the administration to complete the process promptly.
“I know I will never get my wife Nasrin Akter Mukta back. But I don’t want any other husband to lose his wife like this, or any other family to have to run to hospitals searching for their loved ones’ bodies,” an emotional Dewan said.
