The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Remains of fire victims brought to FSL

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 04, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Remains of fire victims brought to FSL

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Four skulls that were found intact and seven more partially damaged ones were brought to the Andhra Pradesh Forensic Sciences Laboratory (APFSL) here on Sunday, even as investigators were striving to pinpoint reasons for the fire accident aboard the Gautami Express on Thursday night at Kesamudram station in Warangal district.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s exercise at the MGM Hospital, Warangal, established that of the 29 sets of skulls and bones, nine belonged to women, seven to men and two were that of children aged around one to five years.

DNA fingerprinting

Superintendent of Police (Railways), Secunderabad, A. Ravichandra, said that medical specialists had completed their job in Warangal and it was now for the APFSL experts to leverage DNA fingerprinting and superimposing technology to find out the victims’ identities.

Experts hope to achieve the desired results in four cases because some tissue was still left on the skulls and bones. However, it will be a tough job because in DNA tests, samples need to be matched with blood grouping of at least one family member of the deceased to establish identity.

Cumbersome task

A senior forensic scientist said it would be a cumbersome procedure as family members might object to it. Given the mortal remains of 29 passengers, it was much more complex now, he added.

He recalled the painstaking procedure involved in comparing the blood sample of a family member with the charred remains of one bus passenger in Mahabubnagar in a DNA test five years ago.

Meanwhile, Chief Commissioner of Rail Safety R.P. Agarwal who is heading the inquiry examined the five burnt coaches which were towed to a ‘sick line’ at the goods shed in Kazipet. Technical personnel helping him observed the coaches minutely, checking the under frames for stress and the lead acid battery banks for residual voltage.

Virtually every component of the coach, specially the metal parts, is going under the scanner, said Chief Public Relations Officer P. Krishnaiah.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh