Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) Director Brigadier General Md Asaduzzaman said relatives have demanded identification of 10 bodies out of the 16 people killed in a massive fire at Sialbari, Mirpur, on Tuesday afternoon.

“The faces of all the bodies were distorted. However, relatives demanded the identification of 10 bodies. To avoid problems in the future, DNA samples of all the bodies are now being collected,” he told the media in his office on Wednesday.

If the relatives want and if the police or district administration allow, the 10 identified bodies can be handed over without autopsy, he said.

Of the 16 victims brought to DMCH, nine were men and seven were women. The bodies are currently kept in the hospital’s emergency department morgue.

The fire broke out in a ready-made garment factory and an adjacent chemical warehouse on Tuesday.

Explosions in the two-storey warehouse spread the fire to a four-story building next door. 16 bodies were later recovered from different areas of the four-story building’s first and second floors.

Two of the three injured in the fire, who were receiving treatment at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS), were discharged on Wednesday, confirmed Dr Shawon bin Rahman, resident surgeon at the institute.