Pakistan to use DNA tests to identify train fire victims

Pakistani soldiers and officials examine a train damaged by a fire in Liaquatpur, Pakistan, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019. A massive fire engulfed three carriages of the train traveling in the country’s eastern Punjab province (AP Photo/Siddique Baluch)

MULTAN, Pakistan — Pakistani officials said DNA tests will be used to identify most of the victims of the massive train fire in eastern Punjab province the previous day that killed 74 people.

Jamil Ahmed, a deputy commissioner from the district of Rahim Yar Khan, said on Friday that DNA tests are required to identify as many as 52 charred bodies before they can be handed over to relatives for burial.

Many of the victims were members of an Islamic preaching group.

Thursday’s fire was caused by a cooking gas stove that passengers were using onboard to prepare their food, something that poor Pakistanis often do although it’s against safety regulations.

The train was traveling from the port city of Karachi to the city of Rawalpindi, with 857 passengers on board, when it caught fire. /kga