Amaravati, March 27 (H.S.): The bodies of victims who died in the Andhra Pradesh bus fire accident will be handed over to their families after DNA profiling is completed, police said on Friday.

Markapuram district in-charge Superintendent of Police V. Harshavardhan Raju said DNA samples from 14 deceased persons have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for identification.

“We are expecting the DNA reports by this afternoon. Once we receive them, the bodies will be identified and handed over to the respective families,” the SP said.

Fourteen people were killed and several others injured when a private travel bus collided with a tipper lorry and caught fire near Rayavaram village on the Podili road between 5.30 am and 6 am on Thursday.

Police said the bus was travelling from Jagityal in Telangana to Kaligiri in Nellore district when it reportedly rammed into a dumper truck and hit its diesel tank, triggering a massive fire.

Officials said the identification process became necessary as several bodies were charred beyond recognition, making visual identification difficult.

Police are coordinating with forensic experts to expedite the process so that the mortal remains can be handed over to the families at the earliest.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar