Yamuna Expressway crash: Death toll may rise as identification of burnt bodies begin, say officials

Mathura (UP), Dec 17 (PTI) The death toll in the multi-vehicle pile-up that has killed 13 people on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura may rise further as several severely burnt human remains are yet to be identified, officials said on Wednesday.

The identities of five victims of the accident, which took place on Tuesday morning, have been established so far.

Many bodies were charred beyond recognition, making identification virtually impossible at this stage, officials said, adding that they were relying on DNA tests for the purpose.

According to a panel of doctors conducting post-mortem, police have brought 18 body bags to the mortuary. These contained the heads of 10 victims, torsos of two others, and one largely intact body, while the remaining bags held only small, badly burnt fragments of human remains.

Post-mortem examination of all the remains are being carried out and reports are being prepared, officials said.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Gopal Garg said samples of all human remains have been collected and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Agra for DNA profiling and to establish their identities by matching them with samples provided by claimants.

The district hospital has officially confirmed the death of 13 passengers in the accident.

However, officials said that given the fragmented condition of the remains, the actual number of victims could increase once they receive the DNA test reports.

"Only after DNA testing of all the remains will it be possible to ascertain how many individuals they belong to. Identification will be confirmed after matching with the samples provided by family members," Dr Garg said.

Assistant Regional Transport Officer Madan Sharma said Sunil Kumar (45), who was driving the Azamgarh-bound bus involved in the crash, was missing. The second driver and the conductor were admitted to the hospital with injuries, but they have no recollection of the incident.

"They told us they fainted immediately after the collision and regained consciousness only after being hospitalised. They are unable to say what happened to Sunil Kumar, whether he was injured or died in the crash. His fate may become clear after examination of the burnt remains," Sharma said.

A passenger, Parvati (42) from Rath tehsil in Hamirpur district, also remained untraceable. Her brother-in-law Gulzari Lal searched for her till late on Wednesday evening across hospitals and mortuaries, but no information could be found, officials said.

In another case, Kanpur resident Pooja has lost her brother-in-law Anuj Srivastava, who was travelling with her on the bus.

With several passengers still unaccounted for and identification of remains pending, officials said the possibility of an increase in the death toll cannot be ruled out. PTI COR ABN ABN RUK RUK