Manado, North Sulawesi (ANTARA) - A fire at a retirement home in Manado City, North Sulawesi, on Sunday (December 28) killed 16 occupants, and local police said the identification process was still ongoing as of Tuesday.
"The fire killed 16 people, 15 of whom could no longer be recognized," North Sulawesi Police's Public Relations Department Chief, Commissioner Alamsyah Hasibuan, stated here.
He noted that the provincial police chief has instructed the deployment of specialized teams for victims' identification and fire investigation.
For identification purposes, the police will gather antemortem data and collect DNA samples from the victims’ families. However, because the local police lack laboratories capable of conducting DNA analysis, the samples will be sent to Jakarta, he said.
"We need time. We expect all the samples to be collected today, and we will send them to Jakarta this evening," Hasibuan remarked.
Meanwhile, Manado Police Chief Commissioner Irham Halid said that the probe into the fire is ongoing, with police officers continuing their investigation at the retirement home.
"We are being assisted by the North Sulawesi provincial police for the investigation. We hope we will know the causes shortly," Halid said.
The fire at "Damai" retirement home in Paal Dua Sub-district, Manado, occurred on Sunday (December 28) at 8:36 p.m. local time.
The municipal authority dispatched three fire trucks to the retirement home and successfully controlled the fire at 9:30 p.m. Police officers were also deployed to maintain security at the scene.
Police officers, assisted by other agencies and residents, evacuated injured victims to Manado City Hospital and Permata Bunda Hospital, while the 16 killed victims were evacuated to Bhayangkara Hospital.
Meanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto's special envoy for energy, Hasjim Djojohadikusumo, has provided a Rp250 million (US$14.9 thousand) donation for the retirement home reconstruction, as confirmed by North Sumatra governor's special staff Recky Langie on Monday (December 29).
