The DNA sampling began on Wednesday to identify the victims of the horrific bus fire in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer, which claimed at least 20 lives.
The authorities are collecting DNA samples from two relatives of each missing passenger at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Jodhpur and Jawahar Hospital in Jaisalmer, reports said.
Nineteen passengers were charred to death at the spot, while one badly injured person died on the way to the hospital.
VIDEO | Jaisalmer bus tragedy: Sheo MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati (@RavindraBhati__) says, "This is a tragic incident. We need to give courage to the families of those who are injured; This is not the time for criticism."#RajasthanNews #JaisalmerBusFire
(Full video available on… pic.twitter.com/3ksISKFKNE
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 15, 2025
The fire broke out around 3.30 pm on Tuesday near Thaiyat village on the Jaisalmer-Jodhpur highway.
According to police, a jammed door in the AC sleeper bus was the main reason for the high number of casualties.
Kailash Dan, Additional SP, Jaisalmer, said the fire caused the door to get locked, preventing passengers from escaping.
"Most of the bodies were found in the aisle of the bus, which shows that people tried to escape but couldn't because the door was stuck," he told PTI news agency.
Though a few Army personnel from the nearby Army War Memorial reached the site quickly and joined the rescue operation, the door of the bus had to be pried open as it got stuck.
A few passengers, however, managed to escape by breaking windows.
#WATCH | Jaisalmer bus fire | Jodhpur | "Why isn't the CM listening to us? The doctors have not reached the hospital yet... We have suffered losses, and everyone will raise this issue for a few days, and then the issue will die down... Why will the doctors come at 11 am?...… pic.twitter.com/1oIGt2kAqI
— ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2025
"All bodies have been sent to Jodhpur for DNA sampling and identification. They will be handed over to families after matching is confirmed by the Forensic Science Laboratory," Jaisalmer SP Abhishek Shivhare said.
A forensic team has also been dispatched from Jodhpur to assist in identification efforts, which are expected to take several days due to the extent of the damage.
Kailash Dan said the police are also verifying the exact number of passengers inside the bus at the time of the mishap.
"Twenty people have died, and 15 are undergoing treatment. No missing person has been reported yet. We are verifying the number of persons. CCTV footage from the bus's departing point and the route has been collected and is being examined," he said. |
