C T Online Desk: The bodies of 22 people who died in the massive fire at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda in Chittagong have been handed over to families.
Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) authorities handed over the bodies from Sunday night to 10am this morning.
CMCH Police Outpost Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Alauddin Talukdar confirmed the matter to Bangla Tribune.
Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Md Mominur Rahman said: “Among the 49 victims of the fire, 41 bodies were at CMCH. The remaining eight bodies are at different hospitals in the city.”
He added Criminal Investigation Department (CID) began collecting DNA samples from relatives of the victims who died in the fire on Monday morning. “If samples are matched, the remaining bodies will be handed.”
A forensic team led by Chittagong CID Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jahangir Alam set up a booth in front of the CMCH on Monday to cross-match DNA samples of unidentified victims of the Sitakunda fire.
ASP Jahangir Alam said samples were being collected from parents, siblings, or any two of the children of the unidentified victims.
The identified victims are: Habibur Rahman, 23, Rabiul Islam, 19, Mominul Haque, 24, Mohiddin, 22, Tofail Islam, 22, Afzal Hossain, Md Sumon, 28, Ibrahim Hossain, 27, Faruk Jamaddar, 50, Md Harun, 55, Md Nayan, 22, Shahadat Hossain, 29, Shahadat Ullah Majumder, Md Ridwan, 25, Rana Mia, Tahidul Hasan, Nazimuddin Rubel, Nipon Chakma, Mitu Dewan, Alauddin (35), Shakil Tarafdar and Md Moniruzzaman, 22.
At least 49 people have been killed so far and over 450 injured in the fire caused by the explosion at the depot late on Saturday night.
The massive fire was brought under control after 25 hours, following frantic efforts of firefighters.
Around 25 units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence were reportedly working on the scene, while around 250 members of the Bangladesh Army army joined the rescue operations.
Three probe panels, including a nine-member local administration committee, were formed on Sunday to probe the incident.
