Expressway crash in Mathura: 11 victims identified through DNA; bodies handed over to kin

Mathura (UP), Dec 24 (PTI) Eleven of the 16 victims killed in a devastating multi-vehicle accident on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura district earlier this month have been identified through DNA tests, and their bodies handed over to their families, officials said on Tuesday.

According to an official release issued by the DSP of the Mahavan area, blood samples of relatives were collected to establish the identities of the victims who died after several buses and cars collided and caught fire in the early hours of December 16.

District Information Officer Prashant Suchari said relatives of all 16 unidentified victims had submitted their blood samples to the health department, following which DNA matching was carried out. So far, the identities of 11 victims have been confirmed and their bodies handed over to their families.

While several families took the bodies to their native districts for last rites, some performed cremation at a ghat along the Yamuna river in Mathura, officials said.

The identities of five bus passengers are yet to be established. Among them is a woman, Parvati, a resident of Rath in Hamirpur district, who reportedly broke the bus window to save her children -- daughter Prachi and son Sunny -- but could not escape herself as the fire rapidly spread, leaving her trapped inside the burning vehicle.

Nineteen passengers were killed in the massive fire that broke out after the collision involving buses and cars amid dense fog on December 16 morning. Initially, only three victims could be identified, while another severely burnt passenger later succumbed to injuries at the SN Medical College in Agra.

Blood samples of close relatives were collected to identify the remaining 16 victims. While DNA matches have been established for 11 bodies, the remains of five victims were found to be too badly charred and mixed with others to allow identification, officials said.

Experts have said DNA samples of these remains will now be sent to other high-standard laboratories for further testing to establish their identities. PTI COR KIS PRK PRK