Bodies of Hima cement factory fire lined up for DNA testing

Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The bodies of the fire victims at Hima Cement are lined up for DNA testing at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital-FRRH to identify the victims. On Saturday, fire broke out at the factory killing three people and injuring six others.

The bodies were first taken to Kasese Municipal Health Center III mortuary but medics, relatives and employees couldn’t positively identify them because they were severely burnt. Carol Kezabu, the Hima Cement Factory Public Relations Officer told URN on Monday that they have opted for DNA testing to positively identify the victims.

The bodies were evacuated to Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital-FRRH where DNA testing will be conducted. Kezabu also says that other victims with severe injuries have also been evacuated to Kampala for better management.

“We are still working closely with all families to ensure we establish their right identities,” she said. Kezabu said that the company management spent the better part of Monday in a meeting to discuss the aftermath of the incident including resuming their operations.

On Sunday, the National Building Review Board-NBRB launched investigations into the fire outbreak to establish the exact cause. Flavia Bwire, the Executive Secretary at the National Building Review Board, said they had picked samples from the fire scene to aid their investigations.

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