WASHINGTON — Desperate to hear about their loved ones feared dead in a Silver Spring apartment explosion and fire, some family members are frustrated with the time it is taking to identify the victims.
The process in identifying the victims of the Silver Spring apartment explosion and fire has been difficult, investigators said. While three victims have been identified, four other’s families are still waiting to hear if their missing loved one died in the flames.
Ten days after police named Aseged Mekonen missing from his home in the in the Flower Branch apartments explosion and fire, his cousin, Getahun Admasu says their family is in agony.
“We provide DNA evidence, a DNA sample five days ago. And they didn’t tell us nothing yet. I was here to arrange to get the body,” he said.
Admasu came to the Long Branch Community Center down the road from his cousin’s apartment to seek out information and found police were holding a news conference where they identified three of the seven victims.
“It’s hard for his mom and dad. They are old. They heard this on social media and you can imagine how they are,” Admasu said.
Admasu said his cousin was a hardworking man, a taxi driver, and engaged to be married.
As investigators work to identify the remaining victims, they have DNA samples from all but one, said Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief Russ Hamill.
“The identification process has been extremely challenging for reasons related to the blast, fire and collapse of the buildings on Arliss Street,” Hamill said.
Hamill says they will continue to work to identify the remaining four victims and determine the causes of their deaths.
