42 victims of Tezgam tragedy identified

RAHIMYAR KHAN (92 News) – Forty-two victims of the Tezgam tragedy have been identified, said sources. Meanwhile, the DNA report of 17 bodies will be received on Wednesday. The Railway authorities have deputed the staff to hand over the bodies to their relatives from Wednesday. The DNA samples were taken from 57 bodies. During the incident, six people of a family including a couple and their three daughters, were killed in the tragedy. Many families traveled on their own to Rahimyar Khan on Thursday and Friday. They have been informed that the DNA test report will be shared after seven days. The death toll from a massive fire in three bogies of Tezgam Express surged to 75 as one more passenger succumbed to his burn injuries on Saturday. Liaquat Ali, was onboard the ill-fated train when a fire broke out and engulfed three bogies of the train at a glance leaving dozens of people perished. He had suffered critical burn injuries in the inferno and was moved to Nishtar Hospital in Multan. Liaquat was undergoing treatment at the hospital but on Saturday night his health condition worsened and he breathed his last at the hospital, said the sources. On Friday the victims of the Tezgam Express tragedy were laid to rest including seven in Mirpurkhas and six in Umerkot. One more person belonging to Mirpurkhas, Muhammad Liaquat, died during treatment in a hospital in Multan on Saturday. Sobbing family crowded an official building in Mirpurkhas overnight as the first bodies covered in white cloth began arriving by ambulance from the scene of the disaster. It was held at the Bismillah Mosque, from which at least 42 pilgrims had left to board the train one day earlier bound for a religious festival near Lahore. Officials say as some of the train’s passengers cooked breakfast around dawn Thursday, two of their gas cylinders exploded, sending flames racing through three carriages as the train passed near Rahim Yar Khan, in Punjab province. At least 74 people died, some after jumping through windows on the still-moving train to escape the blaze. Local media reported that rescue officials found bodies and some injured people along a two-kilometre stretch of track. Seven of the bodies had been confirmed as being residents of the town so far, he said. More than 50 people were among the injured. It was also reported that the injured persons are in critical situation. The investigation teams have collected evidences from the incident spot and it is being considered to make forensic experts a part of the ongoing interrogations as well.