KUANTAN: A deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test carried out on bone specimens found at the site of a fire at Sungai Lembing on Aug 31 confirmed them to belong to an elderly woman.
Pahang police chief Datuk Abd Jalil Hassan said the result obtained from the Chemistry Department in Petaling Jaya yesterday confirmed the remains to be those of Chow Kim Mui, 70, based on 99% probability of a match with her 30-year-old son Ho Chai Fei’s DNA.
“The DNA result also confirmed that the remains were those of only one person. We initially thought they were of two persons, the other being Chow’s husband Ho Yuk Fun who had not been found, which led us to think they were locked in an embrace.
“However, the Fire and Rescue Department recently handed over bone fragments that they found on Sept 2 while clearing up the area around the victim’s home, and we will send these for DNA testing,“ he told Bernama here today.
Abd Jalil was met after accompanying Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah on their visit to the fire victims at Dewan Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Sungai Lembing here today.
It is understood that the bone fragments are still being analysed by an orthopaedic specialist at Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital here before being sent to the chemistry department.
Yuk Fun, 74, and Chow who operated a food stall were believed to have perished after being trapped in the 1.30am fire on Aug 31 that destroyed 32 buildings comprising 20 double-storey houses, 11 single-storey houses and a library.
Firefighters found charred remains of only one person at 6am the same day, which they believed were that of a woman based on the accessories, and had to cease their search for the second victim at 3.15pm on Sept 1 after failing to find any new leads despite using tracking dogs.
The fire and rescue department later handed over the investigation to police as a missing person case. — Bernama
