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Herald Reporter
THE 13 victims of the Chisumbanje ethanol tanker explosion of October 30, 2013 have been identified through DNA profiling conducted by a team of medical experts in Harare. Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa yesterday confirmed the development. “The DNA profiling was successful and all the bodies were positively identified. I received the report yesterday (Monday),” he said. “Although it was a sad case, it is a relief to the families as they will now be able to bury their relatives since all the bodies have been identified.”
He said the Ministry of Home Affairs was helping relatives collect the remains from Mutare Provincial Hospital for burial. Early last month, samples were transferred to Harare from Mutare for tests.
The team, led by Africa Institute of Biomedical Science Technology (AiBST) founder Professor Collen Masimirembwa, took tissue and blood samples from 19 relatives of the victims. The team required six weeks to conduct the tests.
Twenty-four people were burnt, some beyond recognition, when a Green Fuel ethanol tanker collided head-on with a Mazda T35 truck carrying mourners, resulting in a huge inferno. Some of the victims were identified and buried.
There had been confusion on identification of the charred remains of other victims, with some relatives at one stage suggesting a mass burial.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu