Dombivli reactor blast: 12 days on, kin of 9 missing persons await bodies

Like Paudwal, there are still nine families who are yet to receive the bodies of their family members, who are feared to be dead in the blast that killed 10 people and injured 68.

Of 10, only four have been identified, as the rest are charred and damaged beyond recognition.

Kin of missing people waiting at the civic hospital in Dombivli on May 24, day after the blast.

Rakesh Jaiswal, who’s elder cousin Bharat Gorakhnath Jaiswal, 40, is among the people feared to be dead, said, “We only found my cousin’s PAN card from the accident site. It has been 12 days, and we still only have his PAN card in our hand and not the body.”

Jaiswal further said, “They have taken the DNA sample twice, but haven’t yet handed over the body. If we get the remains of our cousin, we can go to our village in Jaunpur and perform the last rites. Everyone in the family is disturbed.”

Family members of Satyanarayan Rajbhar (40) are also awaiting final confirmation of his death. “My brother’s wife and I are frequenting hospitals and police offices to check on DNA test results so we can collect the body. But it’s already been two weeks,” says Rajbhar’s younger brother, Hridaynarayan, a Bhiwandi resident.
He added, “We have told our mother that our brother is in hospital over a health condition or else her health will deteriorate.”

After the blast, as many as 10 families had approached Manpada police station in Dombivli, reporting that their family members working at the MIDC blast incident site were missing.

Of them, three identified the bodies of their family members at the hospital, while the rest could not. Due to the high volume of blasts, the bodies have been badly disfigured. One person died at a private hospital during treatment and his family was with him.

“We have collected DNA samples to match them with family members of the missing people to ascertain the identity of the deceased. The police department handed over the DNA samples to Kalin FSL. We can feel the pain of the families who have lost their near and dear. We too are awaiting DNA test reports,” said Deepa Shukla, medical health officer, KDMC.

Ashok Koli, senior inspector of the Thane police crime branch, who is also investigating the case, said the police department has requested FSL officials to expedite the DNA testing. “Within a day or two, reports will come, after which we will begin to hand over the bodies to the kin,” Koli said.