Remains of 104 Tohoku disaster victims still not identified

The National Police Agency says that the remains of 104 victims of the March 11, 2011 disaster in the Tohoku region have yet to be identified.

The NPA collated the information from prefectural police departments in the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima. Fuji TV reported that the remains of 70 people in Iwate, 33 in Miyagi and one in Fukushima, still have not been identified.

Overall, more than 2,500 victims remain missing. Of the missing people, Miyagi has the most at 1,394, followed by Iwate with 1,205 and 211 in Fukushima. Local police and coast guard members still conduct searches on the 11th day of each month but no bodies have been found this year.

NPA officials said they are trying to identify the remains through DNA matches and facial sketches. A spokesman said such techniques had helped the NPA identify 252 bodies in the past.

Initially, police relied on physical features and personal belongings to identify the remains of disaster victims, but as time passes, DNA has become the preferred method, the NPA spokesman said.

Sunday 29 December 2013

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/remains-of-104-tohoku-disaster-victims-still-not-identified