Police remain hopeful no one has died in the fire-ravaged communities being searched for human remains.
More than 730 properties have been searched during the past few days and so far there has been no evidence of death amid the blackened rubble at Murdunna and Dunalley.
Victoria Police has now joined the painstaking effort, with a contingent of interstate officers arriving in Tasmania yesterday.
Of the 730 homes already searched, 126 have been destroyed by Friday's ferocious blaze.
Police are slowly working their way through properties from Murdunna, to Dunalley, Boomer Bay, Dodges Ferry, Forcett and Primrose Sands where houses were lost.
Acting Police Commissioner Scott Tilyard said police were collecting data generated from the ground search teams and collating it with information collected from other agencies including the SES in an effort to locate people as quickly as possible.
Rumours of bodies being found continue to circulate widely through the social media grapevine.
"Its important to note that at this stage, police have no official missing persons reports," Mr Tilyard said.
He said so far 2200 people had been identified as safe and well and there was no cause for police to have grave concerns for the welfare of anyone at this stage.
Those who have left the Tasman Peninsula without registering their details are being reminded to do so immediately to save police time.
Tasmania Police is using software developed by Victoria Police after the Black Saturday disaster.
"We are working with the Red Cross to cross-reference the details with information received from numerous sources that individuals are OK," Mr Tilyard said.
Mr Tilyard reminds property owners and residents of the affected areas -- who remain banned from returning home at this stage -- that police are doing everything they can to make that possible.
Hundreds of locals and tourist evacuees trapped on the peninsula by the closure of the Arthur Highway on Friday were escorted through the road blocks in special convoys on Tuesday night.
The convoy was forced to take a detour along Sugarloaf Rd after coming across a fallen tree on the Arthur Highway.
Essential supplies have been taken in to the area this morning with the highway remaining closed until further notice.
Buses were organised last night so people could return to collect vehicles, many of them hire cars, left behind when they departed by ferry.
Thursday 10 January 2013
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2013/01/10/370049_tasmania-news.html
0 comments:
Post a Comment