Unidentified body parts from Red Fort blast site sent for DNA tests
Among the recovered parts handed over by police were severed limbs, a tongue and teeth, according to people at Lok Nayak Hospital familiar with the matter.
Health officials said on Thursday that body parts recovered from the Red Fort blast site – but not yet attributed to a victim – have now been sent for specialised DNA testing to determine whether they belong to multiple people. The move comes amid concerns that the death toll may rise beyond the 12 casualties officially confirmed so far.
HT had earlier reported that officials at Lok Nayak Hospital, where the victims were brought, had indicated the possibility of more fatalities. “Multiple human remains have been brought in that may belong to different people,” a senior official said.
Among the recovered parts handed over by police were severed limbs, a tongue and teeth, according to people at Lok Nayak Hospital familiar with the matter.
According to official figures, at least 12 people were killed and more than 20 injured in the attack near the Red Fort. Those who died have been identified as Amar Kataria (35), Ashok Kumar (34), Mohsin Malik (35), Dinesh Kumar Mishra (35), Lokesh Aggarwal (52), Pankaj Sahni (23), Mohammad Nauman (19), Mohammad Jumman (35), Umar Mohammad (36), Bilal (35), Mohammad Lukman (73) and Vinay Pathak (50).
Hospital officials said the unclaimed and unidentified remains were sent for DNA analysis on Tuesday, with reports expected in the coming days. Unique DNA testing, typically used in disaster victim identification, enables forensic experts to extract genetic material from degraded or fragmented samples such as bone, teeth and charred tissues to establish whether they belong to one or several individuals.
Meanwhile, postmortem examinations of all 12 identified victims have been completed. Officials familiar with the findings said the blast caused extensive internal damage.
“Most victims suffered torn eardrums, ruptured lungs and intestines, and deep wounds on the upper body,” a doctor involved in the examinations said. “In such explosions, mortality is often due to the catastrophic internal injuries rather than visible external trauma.”
Officials said it is still unclear whether traces of explosive material have been found on the victims’ remains. Samples collected during autopsies – including metal fragments and foreign particles retrieved from wounds – have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Rohini for chemical analysis. The results, the people cited above said, are likely to offer crucial insights into the type of explosive device used and the materials packed into it.
“FSL will determine if the fragments contain chemical residues or components of the explosives… Only after those reports are out will we have more clarity on the nature of the device and whether additional victims are yet to be identified,” a hospital official added.