Identification efforts continue for victims of the train-bus collision. One victim remains unidentified as no relatives have come forward. Officials expect to start returning bodies from Wednesday, 20 May. Meanwhile, the human remains found are believed to belong to one of the eight victims, not a ninth.
Progress on identifying the eight victims from the train-bus collision shows one remains unidentified with no relatives contacting authorities. It is expected that bodies will be returned to families starting Wednesday, 20 May. The human remains discovered are believed to be from the original eight victims, not a ninth.
At 10:00 a.m. on 18 May 2026 at the Forensic Institute, reporters noted that no relatives of the missing had come to provide additional DNA samples this morning. Meanwhile, a BMTA inspector was seen visiting the institute, presumably seeking information for compensation related to the deceased. Attempts to question the inspector were declined; he referred reporters to senior officials for comments.
Police Colonel Wirul Supasingsiripreecha, Director of the Police Hospital Forensic Institute, stated that seven families of missing persons have come forward to provide DNA samples—six Thai families and one Myanmar family. The remaining one case is in the process of coordination to collect DNA for identification of the deceased.
Regarding DNA identification results comparing samples from the seven families, it is expected that identities will be confirmed by this evening or tomorrow. The process involves matching results with names reported to the Makkasan Police Station to officially confirm the deceased. Legal documents will follow, which typically take one to two days before families can conduct funeral rites. Thus, it is likely that bodies will be released to families from Wednesday or Thursday onward.
As for additional human body parts found at the scene, one more piece was discovered this morning, totaling four pieces currently under DNA testing to determine which victim they belong to. These are small body parts, mostly arms and legs, and are believed to come from the original eight victims. It is unlikely these represent a ninth victim.
Challenges in identifying the severely burned victim include damaged fingerprints and teeth. Therefore, forensic identification relies on DNA testing from blood and bone samples. These DNA results will then be matched with samples from the families of the missing persons.
Police Colonel Wirul also clarified that the two previously released names of victims did not come from the Forensic Institute, as identification is not yet confirmed. All bodies are severely burned, preventing preliminary identification. Confirmation requires forensic DNA testing and matching with police records at Makkasan Police Station before official names can be released.
Authorities have appealed to any other families who suspect a missing relative from this incident to contact the Police Hospital Forensic Institute to provide DNA samples for identification. They request close blood relatives to come forward and bring only one ID card for verification.