Kalka tragedy: DNA samples of unidentified bodies taken

Bodies of eight victims of Kalka Mail tragedy, whose identity could not be ascertained, have been cremated after taking their DNA samples, a senior railway official said today.

Bodies of eight victims of Kalka Mail tragedy, whose identity could not be ascertained, have been cremated after taking their DNA samples, a senior railway official said Sunday.

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"69 people, including two Swedish nationals, were killed in the rail mishap on July 10 at the Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh," General Manager Of North Central Railway Harish Chandra Joshi said adding that identity of eight could not be established despite all efforts.

He said that the DNA samples of all the eight victims were taken before cremation so that they could be matched if any claim for compensation is made in the future.

Meanwhile, three persons have contacted railway office in Allahabad and informed the officials that their relatives were travelling in Kalka mail and are missing ever since the accident occurred, he said.

Blood samples of these three have been sent to Lucknow forensic laboratory to match their DNA with those killed, Joshi said.

Any compensation will be given only if the DNA samples match and it is established that they are their real family members, he said.