Bodies of 43 crash victims handed over to families

Minister says process will be completed in seven days

KARACHI: With the bodies of 43 victims of last week's plane crash returned to their families by Wednesday, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho said that the process of handing over the remaining bodies to the grieving heirs would be completed in seven days.

She claimed that the government laboratory was working around the clock and conducting DNA tests to help identify the victims, adding that the collection of samples for the tests was also completed.

Pechuho stated that 43 of the 97 bodies had been handed over to the families, adding that the samples of 54 bodies and 59 family members have also been sent for DNA testing by the health department.



She informed that the profiling of the family members of the deceased had been done, while the process of profiling the deceased was underway.

Moreover, the reports regarding the identification of another six bodies had been submitted, she said, adding that they would be handed over to their families today (Thursday) after legal formalities were finished.

"The process of identification of bodies through DNA testing is extremely complicated and time-consuming," claimed Pechuho, adding that the Sindh government wanted the bereaved families to receive the bodies of their loved ones as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, a Pakistan International Airlines spokesperson stated that five bodies had been taken by relatives directly from the hospital, while the DNA reports of 54 bodies, currently at the Edhi and Chhipa morgues, were still pending.