QZ8501: Three more bodies identified as search enters Day 10

As search operations for the ill-fated AirAsia QZ8501 enters its tenth day, personnel from the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) have identified three more bodies after endless hours of scouring the Java Sea in search of victims from the Dec 28 crash.

Of the 37 bodies sent to the Bhayangkara Hospital in Surabaya, 16 bodies have been successfully identified to date, said East Java Chief Police Commissioner Budiyono.

The victims are Indra Yulianto, 51, Hindarto Halim, 61 and Jou Brian Youvito, 19.

Several means of identification methods were used by the DVI squad. Yulianto and Hindarto were identified through the post-mortem and antemortem data retrieved from the CCTV at the Juanda International Airport in Singapore on Dec 28.

Meanwhile, Jou Brian Youvito’s remain was identified from a dental checkup card, university ID tag and ATM cards found in his pants.

All three victims were handed over to their respective families for funerals.

Of the 162 passengers and crew on board, 155 were Indonesian, with three South Koreans, one Singaporean, one Malaysian, one Briton and a Frenchman.

East Java Police’s Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team working on the bodies of the victims from AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 said that they had found no trace of burns on the bodies.

National Police’s DVI executive director Sr. Comr. Anton Castelani said that the bodies were in a relatively clean condition, suggesting that the plane did not catch fire or explode before impacting the water and killing 162 people on Dec. 28, 2014.

“No burns were found on the victims. Regarding the report on [how the plane crashed], the KNKT [National Transportation Safety Commission] will publish it,” Anton said on Tuesday.

He added that the bodies found have experienced advanced signs of decomposition, making it more difficult for the DVI team to identify the bodies.

“In such a case, we will use other identification methods, such as the teeth and their DNA. There are not many worries regarding the decomposition process, they can still be identified,” Anton added.

The process involves comparing the postmortem data of the victims with the antemortem data obtained from the victims’ families.

Meanwhile, National Police chief Gen. Sutarman said that all bodies found would be and could be identified, submitting to the reality that the bodies found later will take more time to identify.

Tuesday 6 January 2015

http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/qz8501-three-more-bodies-identified-search-enters-day-10-51643

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/06/no-burns-found-victims-bodies-dvi-team.html