Bodies of 46 Chawkbazar fire victims handed over to families

The Dhaka Medical College Hospital authorities have handed over bodies of 46 victims of Chawkbazar fire to their families.

Doctor Sohel Mahmood, who heads the hospital’s forensic department, told the media about the handover on Friday morning.

The Fire Service and Civil Defence doused the flames completely after fourteen hours of efforts from Wednesday night.

The fire has devastated a number of vehicles on a busy intersection of two narrow lanes and five buildings at Churihatta.

Fire Service officials said 70 body bags were sent to the morgue at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. But doctors there counted 67 bodies, after piecing together body parts.

“Some of the bags contained only parts. Considering that, the total number of dead maybe 67,” said Mahmood. Some of the bodies were burnt so badly it was impossible to identify them.

There were some body parts in a separate bag and the doctors will check whether these belonged to any of the bodies, Mahmood said.

The hospital authorities collected samples from all the bodies and would conduct DNA tests later to identify them, he added. The relatives of the missing victims have been asked to give their blood and saliva sample to the authorities for the DNA tests.

Families will receive Tk 20,000 each from district authorities to lay the victims to rest, said Senior Assistant Commissioner Imrul Hassan, stationed at the information centre set up by the local administration.

Officials at Azimpur Graveyard said they have readied 85 graves for the fire victims following instructions and buried two while four more bodies were incoming.

The deceased, who have been identified, include:

Kamal Hossain, 45, from Noakhali’s Begumganj

Osi Uddin, 23, from Dhanmondi in Dhaka

Mosharraf Hossain, 43, from Noakhali

Hafez Md Kausar Ahmed, 26, from Cumilla’s Homna

Ali Hossain, 65, from Noakhali’s Sonaimuri

Md Yasin, 33, from Chawkbazar

Shahadat Hossain, 30, from Cumilla’s Brahmanparha

Abu Bakr Siddique, 20, from Chandpur’s Hajiganj

Jummon, 52, from Chawkbazar

Mojibur Howlader, 50, from Patuakhali’s Mirzaganj

Helaluddin, 32, from Noakhali’s Sonaimuri

Ashraful Haque, 20, from Brahmanbaria’s Banchharampur

Imtiaz Imrose Rasu, 22, from Pabna’s Bera

Md Siddique Ullah, 45, from Noakhali’s Sonaimuri

Masud Rana, 35, from Noakhali’s Sonaimuri

Opu Rayhan, 31, from Chawkbazar

Arafat Ali, 3, from Chawkbazar

Mohammad Ali, 22, from Chawkbazar

Mahbubur Rahman Raju, 29, from Noakhali’s Sonaimuri

Enamul Haque Kazi, 28, from Patuakhali’s Mirzaganj

Siam Arafat, 19, from Bongshal in Dhaka

Omar Faruq, 30, from Shariatpur’s Naria

Solaiman, 25, from Tangail's Modhupur