Task of identifying 17 fatalities begins

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines  – Now the difficult task of identifying the 17 female fatalities in Wednesday’s fire here, begins.

And authorities are asking for the help of the three survivors in the fire in identifying their fellow stay-in workers in a garment store who were charred beyond recognition.

Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Rafal, Caraga police director, though asked probers to look for the victims’ dental records and possibly conduct DNA tests for more accurate identification.

The three survivors – sales clerks Vicky Velez and Grace Canoy, and bagger and security assistant Mylene Tolo – told fire investigators that they were able to escape from the sleeping quarters of Novo Shirts and Jeans Enterprises on the third floor through the fire exit on the second floor although thick smoke had engulfed the premises.

They said their fellow workers could have been trapped and eventually got suffocated.

The three suffered first-degree burns, while Tolo sustained fractures, too, as she jumped from the fire exit.

They revealed that the store’s main doors were usually locked from the inside and that the keys were kept by their supervisors or security guards to keep the store safe from thieves or intruders.

The remains of the 17 fatalities lie in state at the Raniel and Bollozos funeral parlors here.

Relatives of the victims fear that they may end up burying the wrong person if there is no scientific and clear basis in identifying the charred remains.