66 bodies handed over to families: Malik

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Thursday said “a total of 66 bodies have been handed over to the families of the victims so far.”

While addressing the media in Islamabad, Malik said he had directed chairman NADRA to take fingerprints of all the victims.

He also informed that DNA samples of the victims will be tested as soon as possible. “Fourty DNA samples have been taken today,” he said.

A DNA-test Desk has been set up at Aabpara Community Centre for the identification of the victims.

Bodies that were kept at Pims hospital have been shifted to a morgue in Sector I-10/3 due to lack of space in the hospital.

Commenting on the investigation, Malik said the Civil Aviation Authority is currently on it. “The investigation will be transparent and a report will be released in a week or two,” he said.

The interior minister said that the rescue work is expected to be completed by tonight if the weather condition improves. He said “the terrain is very slippery at the moment and I assure you rescue work will resume as soon as weather conditions improve.”

Malik said the whole operation was closely supervised by high officials and the prime minister himself.