Sigachi mishap: Officials fly in relatives for DNA sampling of missing victims

To identify untraced persons in the Sigachi Chloro Chemicals accident, Sangareddy officials arranged flight tickets for relatives of missing victims for DNA sampling. Of the 143 present during the mishap, 40 died, nine are missing, and 25 body parts were recovered

Sangareddy: In a bid to fast-track the identification of the unidentified bodies and trace persons still missing after the accident at Sigachi Chloro Chemicals Limited, the Sangareddy district administration has arranged flight tickets for four blood relatives of the untraced workers to facilitate blood sample collection on Sunday.

The administration is yet to trace nine individuals and identify two bodies retrieved from the site, which are currently kept in the mortuary after autopsy. Following expert advice, officials have decided to collect blood samples from two relatives of each of the 11 unaccounted persons, including the nine missing and two unidentified deceased.

---

Until Friday, only one sample had been collected. Of the 11 persons, only six had two blood relatives already available in the district. To avoid further delays, officials arranged air travel for five relatives. However, one of them had already begun travelling to Hyderabad by train, leaving arrangements for the remaining four to the district administration.

Speaking to ‘Telangana Today’, Sangareddy RDO Ravindar Reddy said flight tickets had been arranged for the kin of Chikkan Singh (Madhya Pradesh), Rahul Kumar Sharma (Uttar Pradesh), Vijay Kumar Nishad (Bihar) and Akhilesh Nishad (Bihar). The district administration is bearing all travel expenses. Their blood samples will be collected on Sunday morning and sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL).

Apart from the two unidentified bodies, officials have recovered 25 mutilated body parts over the past three days. These have also been sent to CFSL in the hope that DNA analysis will help trace the remaining missing persons.

Of the 143 persons who were at the site at the time of the mishap, 61 were confirmed safe, while 40 were declared dead. Nine remain untraced, and two bodies are in the mortuary. Nineteen injured are undergoing treatment, while 12 have been discharged after recovery.