HYDERABAD: Grief-stricken families gathered in silence outside the Patancheru Government Hospital mortuary on Tuesday.
Amid the shock and sorrow, many are still hoping for a miracle, that a name was overlooked or a body misidentified. “Just two days ago, he was laughing with the family. Now I have to see him like this,” said Immanuel, mourning the loss of his 25-year-old brother Sunil.
A native of Ardhaveedu mandal in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, Sunil had returned to Hyderabad just a day earlier after finishing his exams. He was living with Immanuel in Ashok Nagar.
“I could only recognise him by the ring on his finger and the gold chain around his neck,” Immanuel said, fighting back tears. Sunil’s phone kept ringing through the night, raising hopes. But on Tuesday, the family received a call from police to identify his body.
Sunil’s father Narsayya and brother Immanuel came to Patancheru, while his mother, Sunitha, stayed back in their hometown, unable to cope with the shock.
In another corner of the hospital, a family from Bidar, Karnataka, waited anxiously for news of their relative Justin, who had reported for the general shift on Monday and never returned. “His name was on the attendance list but not among the victims. Officials sent us to several hospitals, but we found nothing. Now we’re here, still hoping he’s alive,” a family member said through tears.
Relatives from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were also among those mourning. “We identified my father, Jagdish Prasad (55). The officials handed over the body. We’re now waiting for an ambulance with a freezer box to take his remains to Mirzapur,” said his cousin, Narayan Varma.
14 bodies identified
Patancheru Government Hospital Superintendent Dr Srinivas Reddy confirmed that 36 bodies were brought to the mortuary, of which 14 have been identified.
“We have collected DNA samples from the unidentified bodies and samples from 18 relatives to aid in the matching process,” he said.
Nine of the 14 identified bodies have been handed over to families. The remaining are in the process of being released. DNA test results are expected within three to seven days, Dr Reddy added.
Young couple feared dead
Sangareddy: A young couple is feared to be among the victims of the Sigachi chemical factory explosion in Sangareddy on Monday. Nikhil Reddy and Namala Sri Ramya, MSc graduates from Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, were deeply in love and dreamed of building a small, happy family.
When their families initially opposed the match, Tiruvur MLA Kolikapudi Srinivas stepped in and solemnised their wedding, reportedly at an Arya Samajam. The families later agreed to host a traditional ceremony during Sravana Masam, as the ongoing Ashaadha Masam was considered inauspicious.
The couple had resumed work just three days ago after an extended break for their wedding. Though they usually worked different shifts, both happened to report at the same time on the day of the explosion. Fearing the worst, their relatives now await DNA test results with bated breath, as most of the bodies were charred beyond recognition.