Kolkata, Feb 21 (NationPress) The remains of 18 victims from the Anandapur warehouse fire located on the southern fringes of Kolkata have been confirmed through DNA analysis and returned to their families at the Katapukur morgue on Saturday.

Initially, it was thought that these 18 bodies were part of the 27 individuals reported missing, which had led to speculation that the death toll could have reached 45. However, officials later clarified that the confirmed death toll stands at 27. The 18 bodies identified were among those who tragically lost their lives in the incident, and not additional casualties.

This catastrophic fire erupted on the night of January 26.

According to police sources, the identification was validated by comparing DNA samples from the remains with those provided by the victims' family members.

Of the 18 identified victims, 16 hailed from East Midnapore district, one from West Midnapore district, and one from Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district. Family members were instructed to visit the Katapukur morgue in south Kolkata to complete formalities prior to receiving the remains from the Narendrapur police.

Authorities indicated that relatives had to first check in at the Narendrapur police station before being escorted to the Katapukur morgue to collect the remains. The Baruipur police district has notified the relevant district administrations regarding this development.

The district administrations along with local police in East Midnapore, West Midnapore, and South 24 Parganas have reached out to the families to provide necessary support and assistance.

The deceased have been named as Kartik Jana, Nantu Khada, Subrata Khada, Prosenjit Ghara, Sandip Kumar Maiti, Krishnandu Dhara, Gurupada Sau, Basudeb Haldar, Basudeb Bera, Buddhadev Jana, Biswajit Sau, Khudiram Dinda, Shashank Jana, Bimal Maiti, Jaydev Majhi, Ramakrishna Mandal, Sujit Singh, and Tapankumar Dolui.

The fire originated on January 26 at a warehouse owned by Pushpanjali Decorators and eventually spread to a neighboring warehouse linked to Wow Momo. All 27 victims were burned beyond recognition, complicating immediate identification.

Families of the missing individuals had filed complaints at the Narendrapur police station, which led to the collection of blood samples for DNA analysis. The identification was conducted by matching DNA from the recovered remains with the samples from family members.

Officials stated that DNA matching for nine victims is still outstanding, and identification will be finalized upon receipt of forensic reports. Subsequently, death certificates will be issued to the families by local authorities.

In the meantime, Gangadhar Das, the owner of the decorators' warehouse, along with two individuals associated with the Wow Momo-linked establishment, have been detained in connection with the case. They are currently held at the Baruipur correctional facility as investigations proceed.