Torching Benapole Express: What we know about the victims so far

Four people were burnt beyond recognition when arsonists torched the Benapole Express in Golapbagh last night, and the identities of the victims have been a source of anxiety for families fearing the worst.

After dousing the blaze around 11:00pm, several rescuerssaid one of the victims, who was seen with half his body hanging out a window during the fire, was male, and one or two others were children.

Confusion arose as families of at least three adult females said their near ones were passengers of the train and went missing after the incident.

Sources in the Dhaka Medical College this evening quelled some of the speculation by confirming that none of the victims were children.

In the aftermath of the fire, families of four people -- Abu Talha, Natasha Jasmin, Chandrima Chowdhury Sowmi, Elina -- reported them missing.

After conducting autopsy at the hospital morgue, the forensic doctors found that all four victims were adults -- one male and three females, sources in the morgue said.

However, none could be identified by their family members and the bodies were kept at the hospital mortuary after DNA samples were collected.

The samples were handed over to Dhaka Railway Police, which will send those to the forensic Lab of Criminal Investigation Department to be matched with persons reported to be missing by their families, said Sub-Inspector Setafur Rahman of Dhaka Railway Police Station.

The bodies will be handed over to families when there is a positive DNA match, he said.