Wayanad tragedy: DNA testing to find out identity of unidentified; testing to be done at Kannur Regional Forensic Lab

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: DNA testing to find out the identity of the bodies and body parts from the Wayanad tragedy that are yet to be identified will begin today. It will be crosschecked with more than 100 blood samples collected from people who came looking for their relatives. DNA testing will be done at Kannur Regional Forensic Lab of Kerala Police. About 400 samples, including those from body parts, were brought to the lab.

Bones should be examined to get accurate results as all the marrow of the victims of the disaster has decomposed. Therefore, health workers have been instructed to send as many bones as possible. Isolating DNA from bone is not easy. The samples will be transferred to a freezer in the lab. The bones are then washed and cleaned. If something happens to the bones at this stage, the results will change. Hence, this process is done with caution. This is then ground and kept overnight in a chemical solution.

The next morning, the DNA will be extracted and profiled in three steps that will take more than five hours. This process has begun. DNA will be extracted from the relatives' blood samples and crosschecked today. A maximum of two hours is sufficient to isolate DNA from blood.

Round-the-clock mission

• 30-member team for DNA testing
• Led by one Assistant Director and seven Scientific Officers
• Lab staff from other districts have also been assigned to Kannur
• Process will start at 5 am and will last till 2am at night

Blood samples from close relatives only

Only samples of close relatives such as children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, paternal and maternal siblings, first cousins ​​etc. will be taken for DNA testing.