LAHORE, July 21: A five-member committee has been constituted by the railway authorities to ascertain the identity of the unidentified passengers buried at a Ghotki graveyard for compensation payment, it is learnt. Officials told Dawn on Thursday that the committee was headed by the medical superintendent of Ghotki Hospital while a medical officer of the hospital, a railways medical officer, Ghotki’s mukhtar-i-kar (tehsildar) and a social worker of the Idara Minhajul Quran were its other members.

According to the railway medical officer report, of the 138 passengers killed in the accident at Sarhad station on July 13, identity of 66 could not be ascertained. The local elders decided on July 15 to bury the unclaimed or unidentified bodies as amanat at a Ghokti graveyard to save them from putrefaction.

“As many as 71 deceased have been identified so far while the number of the injured stood at 175. Eight compensation cheques were given to the heirs by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on July 16 while 48 injured people got the cheques at the Combined Military Hospital, Pannu Aqil, the following day,” CCM Maqsood Ahmad Khan said.

Some 57 compensation cheques had so far been prepared after verification and sent to the divisional superintendents concerned, who would deliver them to the heirs after re-verification.

“Only 10 cheques for the injured are on hand for ascertaining their particulars or addresses while cheques for the 175 injured have been sent to the DSs concerned,” Mr Khan said.

Giving details, he said nine cheques for the heirs of the deceased had been sent to the Sukkur DS, seven for the heirs of the deceased and 26 for the injured to the Karachi DS, six for the heirs of the deceased and 28 for the injured to the Multan DS and nine for the heirs of the deceased and 10 for the injured to the Lahore DS.

Two cheques for the heirs were dispatched to the Peshawar DS, three for the heirs and 21 for the injured to the Rawalpindi DS while two for the heirs of the deceased and 18 for the injured were sent to the Quetta DS.

Mr Khan said a foolproof system had been devised to ensure that only the legal heirs of the deceased or injured in the Sarhad accident could get the compensatory amount.