Train accident: Forensic DNA tests underway
The death toll of victims of the Kroonstad train accident remained a subject of speculation since its occurrence on the 4 January 2018 due to the condition of bodies. Forensic tests on the extremities retrieved in the burnt train carriages were conducted on Friday 5 January 2018, and by end of day it was …
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The death toll of victims of the Kroonstad train accident remained a subject of speculation since its occurrence on the 4 January 2018 due to the condition of bodies.
Forensic tests on the extremities retrieved in the burnt train carriages were conducted on Friday 5 January 2018, and by end of day it was confirmed that 19 bodies could be accounted for. These are eight (8) men, five (5) women, four (4) girls, and two were unidentifiable.
The postmortem will resume soon and forensic experts from Pretoria have been roped in to assist with DNA comparison that will assist in identifying the bodies. The families will be informed of the central place where they will converge for tests.
In the meantime Prasa has established a 24 hours line, 011-544 9623, that families can call to enquire about their loved ones who were on board the train from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg on the 4 January 2018.