Based on the DNA tests, the identity of 20 out of 42 people who were burnt alive in the tragic bus fire mishap in Mahabubnagar district on October 30.
The Andhra Pradesh State Forensic Laboratory (APSFL), which collected the DNA samples of 84 relatives of the victims, gave its first report on Monday ascertaining the identity of 20 victims. The names of identified victims are: Prashan Gupta, Shiva Kiran, Vedapati, Ravi, Nanjula Goud, Md Sardar, Ashutosh Pande, Akshay Singh, Phani Kumar, NS Giridhar, G Balasunder Raju, M Vijaya Kumari, Jyoti Ranjan Sahu, Syed Mohammad Jamaluddin, N Ruhiya, Venkatesh, Mohsin Pasha, Raghuveer, K Ramya and Shaik Saqib Ahmed.
The DNA tests were necessitated as the bodies were charred beyond recognition. The authorities wanted to avoid any complications in future and prevent false claims and therefore, collected the DNA samples of relatives for the DNA test.
Meanwhile, arrangements are being made to handover the bodies to the relatives after verifying their identities. The bodies were preserved at the Osmania General Hospital mortuary. Senior officials from the Mahabubnagar district have also been asked to rush to the OGH mortuary to complete the process.
It may be mentioned that as many as 45 passengers were killed when the bus of Jabbar Travels coming from Bangalore to Hyderabad caught fire near Palem in the early hours of October 30. Of them, only three bodies were identified at the spot.
The authorities did not specify as to when the process of identification of other 22 bodies would be completed. (INN)