MULTAN, Pakistan: Pakistan’s forensic experts will carry out DNA tests to identify most of the victims of the massive train fire in eastern Punjab province on Thursday that killed 74 people and injured dozens, officials said on Friday.
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The tests are required to identify as many as 52 burnt bodies before they can be handed over to the relatives for burial, said Jamil Ahmed, a deputy commissioner from the district of Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab.
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In southern Sindh province, where most of the victims were from, authorities handed over several identified bodies to relatives for burials on Friday in the town of Mirpurkhas and elsewhere. Other relatives were seen lining up to give blood samples for DNA tests outside the hospital in Rahim Yar Khan.
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Ahmed said the forensic teams hope to complete the identification process within 48 hours. He added that authorities were investigating the incident, including why it took the train so long to stop.
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Train driver Sadiue Ahmed Khan insisted the emergency brakes were not malfunctioning and that the train stopped within three minutes of the first signs of fire. “This is the worst tragedy in my life as a driver,” he said.
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Train accidents in Pakistan are often the result of poor railways infrastructure and official negligence. Media reports on Thursday suggested that railways officials did not notice when passengers boarded the train, carrying individual gas stoves.
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Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said measures will be taken not to allow anyone onboard with cooking stoves or gas cylinders in the future.
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“We admit our mistake and I assure you, next time it will not happen,” he told reporters amid mounting pressure for his resignation over the huge death toll.
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