Andhra bus fire: Horrific memories haunt survivors; DNA reports of victims expected by Monday

Tirupati: The devastated family members of Kurnool bus tragedy victims will have to wait till Sunday evening or Monday morning to claim the bodies of their loved ones. As many as 19 persons were charred to death in the Vemuri Kaveri Travels bus fire, reported near Chinna Tekuru village on the outskirts of Kurnool in the early hours of Friday.Dr Brahmaji, professor of forensic sciences dept at Kurnool GGH, said postmortem formalities of all 19 deceased passengers were done at the accident site itself on Friday. "While performing the postmortem, we collected the muscle tissue, bones, and teeth of the victims. Different types of DNA samples have been collected for analysis. All samples have been sent to the forensic science laboratory at Mangalagiri," he informed.Blood samples of family members of 18 identified victims have also been collected to arrive at a match during physical identification of the victims. "It might take around 48 hours to complete the procedures. We are expecting the DNA reports to reach us either on Sunday evening or by Monday. In all likelihood, the bodies of the victims will be handed over to their families by Monday," the forensic dept professor told reporters.

The samples of one unidentified body have also been collected and the forensic team is waiting for his relatives to turn up to be able to arrive at his identity. "As part of larger investigation, chemical analysis teams have also collected samples to ascertain the exact cause of the fire amidst reports that explosion of the bike's fuel tank triggered the blaze. The mobile phones consignment which included lithium ion batteries further aggravated the spread of the fire," Dr Brahmaji stated.The forensic dept head further clarified that Shiva Shankar, the biker who was found dead on the divider near the charred bus, suffered a severe head injury and may have died on the spot. With reports suggesting that the biker was under the influence of alcohol after a CCTV footage of his suspected inebriated condition at a fuel station went viral on Saturday, Dr Brahmaji said his samples were also collected and sent for examination to the Mangalagiri FSL to confirm if he was under the influence of alcohol.

The report will be received in two days, he added.