DNA samples sent to Dhaka 

COX’S BAZAR, Oct 19: DNA samples from 10 people killed in a fire at TupTup Restro and Resort in Patuartek, Inani, Ukhiya, have been sent to Dhaka for forensic testing, as their bodies were severely burned and cannot be identified visually.

Samples were collected from the bodies kept in the cold storage of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital on Sunday and handed over to police in the evening. They were subsequently sent to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) office in Malibagh, Dhaka, for testing in its testing laboratory.

Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital Subaktagin Mahmud Sohel told this correspondent on Monday that the identification process could take three to four weeks. He said the DNA profiles obtained from the remains would be matched with samples from close relatives, including parents, siblings or children. The bodies would be handed over to families after their identities were confirmed.

Ukhiya Police Station Sub-Inspector Rimon Ghosh, the investigation officer in the case filed over the fire, said the necessary samples had been sent to the CID laboratory. Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Abul Mannan said DNA testing had to be conducted in Dhaka because the facility was unavailable locally.

Meanwhile, relatives from Dhaka and other parts of the country have gathered in Cox’s Bazar, desperately searching for missing family members at the hospital morgue and the burned resort.
Riaz Mahmud Ripon, whose family lost six members in the tragedy, said four of his relatives had already provided DNA samples at the CID office in Malibagh. He urged authorities to expedite the tests and hand over the bodies as soon as possible.

Faisal Dewan has been waiting in Cox’s Bazar for two days for the body of his wife, Nasrin Akter Mukta. He said hospital authorities had informed him that identification could take nearly a month. “I know I will never get my wife, Mukta, back. But I do not want any other husband to lose his wife this way, or any other family to search desperately for a loved one’s body,” he said, calling for a faster process.

The bodies are so badly burned that even determining their sex is difficult, hospital officials said. Some relatives have tried to identify victims through jewellery worn on their hands, necks or feet, but without conclusive results.

Ten bodies have been recovered, but one person remains missing. Fire Service and Civil Defence teams conducted another search at the site on Sunday but found no additional body.

Lieutenant Colonel Azad Anwar, director (training and development) of Fire Service and Civil Defence, said 11 people had initially been listed as missing. Extreme heat had prevented rescuers from searching every part of the debris, while the collapse of the wooden upper floors raised concerns that someone might be trapped underneath.

Additional District Magistrate Tasnim Jahan said police and investigators were analysing mobile phone network locations and other information to determine whether the missing person had been inside or outside the resort when the fire broke out.

Among those named by relatives and officials as victims are Israt Jahan, 30, and Milita Mehezabin, 23, from Banasree; Laila Jahan, 27, and Nafista Mim, 27, from Khilgaon; Fariha Kabir, 33, from Chuadanga; and five-year-old Faizan Ahmed. Their identities, along with those of the other deceased, remain subject to official confirmation through DNA testing.

Six people were initially admitted to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital with burn injuries. Four were flown to Dhaka on Saturday after their conditions deteriorated. No injured patients remained admitted to the hospital on Monday.

The fire broke out on the morning of October 17 at the wooden resort beside the Cox’s Bazar�"Teknaf Marine Drive. A seven-member committee formed by the district administration is investigating the incident, while police continue their investigation.