Rajkot gaming zone fire: 5 victims identified through DNA sampling, rest likely to be identified by tonight
Gujarat MoS Home Harsh Sanghavi visited the FSL Gandhinagar campus on Monday to review the DNA sampling operation
3 min read
At the spot of TRP game zone fire accident. (Express Photo by Nirmal Harindran)The identities of at least five charred bodies recovered from the Rajkot TRP gaming zone fire site have been confirmed through DNA sampling on Monday.
The blaze that broke out on Saturday had claimed 28 lives, including seven minors. Till now, remains of all missing people have been found except one.
“Some of the DNA samples have been identified today (Monday). The process of DNA analysis is underway and it is expected to confirm the remaining samples as early as possible, likely by tonight,” a senior official confirmed to The Indian Express.
The bodies recovered so far at the site were charred beyond recognition and hence DNA samples were taken to identify the victims.
The government had sent the DNA samples to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Gandhinagar for DNA testing due to the nature of the burn injuries.
An air ambulance carrying the DNA samples landed in Gandhinagar at around 4 am on Sunday. Officials have also collected DNA samples from family members.
“Despite some identification evidence on the bodies, like rings and bangles, the government decided on DNA analysis for scientific identification so that there is no mistake in handing over the bodies,” Rajkot Collector Prabhav Joshi had said. Some of the hard tissue samples are estimated to take around 36-48 hours to be identified.
A special investigation team has been set up to look into the fire and submit a preliminary report by Tuesday. Following the Rajkot fire, the Gujarat government has directed officials to carry out inspections at all gaming zones across the state. Till the inspections conclude, the gaming zones will remain shut.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi visited the FSL Gandhinagar campus on Monday to review the DNA sampling operation.
Sharing details of his visit, Sanghavi said blood is usually needed for DNA sampling, but as the bodies were charred and blood could not be extracted from some of the bodies, they even sent bones.
“Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel instructed us to arrange an air ambulance immediately so that no time is lost on the highway. The FSL team has started working from 5 am on Sunday. The first DNA samples to arrive were blood and post-mortem samples. This operation has to be done in eight stages. In each stage, the duration of the test is determined based on the type of sample,” he said.
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