Benguela — Four of the 22 people killed in the accident involving a bus and a three-wheeled motorized vehicle, which occurred on Monday on National Road 100 in Cuanza-Sul province, have already been identified.

According to a source from the Forensic Medicine Department of the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) in Benguela province, the identified victims were the occupants of the three-wheeled vehicle; it was carrying fuel and triggered the massive fire that consumed the bus.

The remaining 18 bodies, recovered from inside the bus, were completely charred, making visual identification impossible.

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To address this, the Forensic Medicine Department has been collecting biological samples from the bodies and the victims' immediate family members since Tuesday for subsequent genetic comparison at the Central Forensic Laboratory in Luanda.

According to forensic pathologist Fátima de Almeida, identifying the remaining bodies depends on collecting genetic material from more family members and completing the laboratory analyses in the field of genetics.

The forensic pathologist noted that it is impossible to provide a timeframe for the completion of the process, which proceeds as more family members come forward to provide samples.

The samples are being stored in Benguela and will be sent to Luanda in compliance with chain-of-custody procedures, as the official explained.

Family members of the victims remain at the Benguela General Hospital morgue, awaiting the conclusion of the identification process.

The accident occurred early Monday morning in the municipality of Gangula, when the bus collided with a fuel-carrying three-wheeled motorized vehicle, sparking a fire.

The authorities' provisional toll remains at 22 dead and 12 injured. JH/CRB/DOJ