Chawkbazar fire: DMCH begins handing over bodies to families

Dhaka Medical College Hospital authorities have started handing over the bodies of the Chawkbazar fire victims around 2:15pm Thursday.

Confirming the matter, DMCH Forensics Medicine department head Prof Shohel Mahmood said, “We’ve handed over the bodies that we were able to identify,” he said.

He also said they would hand over around 30 to 35 bodies to the families throughout the day.

Chawkbazar Police OC Pradip Biswas said they were also involved in the handing over process with the hospital authorities so that bodies can be handed out to family members in an orderly manner.

To make the total process more convenient, the local administration has set up an information centre at the hospital to provide information on the victims.

Meanwhile, the families of the deceased victims will get Tk 20,000 each from district administration to lay the victims to rest, Senior Assistant Commissioner Imrul Hassan, told reporters.

The deadly fire broke out in a four-storey building called ‘Wahed Bhaban’ behind the Shahi Mosque at Churihatta around 10:30pm Wednesday and spread to four other buildings.

According to fire service officials, so far, 70 body bags were sent to the morgue at DMCH and at least 40 people have been admitted to the same hospital.

However, the hospital authorities said there were 67 bodies as some parts of different bodies were packed in separate bags.