French police working to recover remains from the Germanwings crash site say so far they have recovered between 400 and 600 pieces of remains from the 150 people who died in Tuesday’s plane crash.
Speaking from the French Alps town of Seyne-les-Alpes, Col. Patrick Touron of the gendarme service said “we haven’t found a single body intact.”
He also said DNA samples have been taken from objects provided by the victims’ families — such as toothbrushes — that could help identify the victims.
Touron also said jewelry and other objects could help in the identification process.
Rescue workers examining the Germanwings air disaster crash site have found no intact bodies and up to 600 pieces of human remains, investigators have confirmed.
Families at the site are even having to go through the ordeal of providing DNA samples to experts based in a make-shift laboratory set up across two hotels in Barcelona, where the loved ones of the crash victims are staying.
Police have also confirmed that no intact bodies have been found at the French Alps crash zone as they seek to identify the 150 victims of the disaster who died.
In a bid to identify the victims, families are being asked by officials if they can recall what clothing their loved ones may have been wearing while on board the doomed flight.
They have been asked if their late family members may have had any distinctive features such as tattoos.
Experts have also been recovering DNA samples from household items of the victims for further examination.
'Daunting scene'
A team of 50 forensic workers face a daunting scene: a vast stretch of debris scattered over treacherous mountain ridges that can only be accessed with the help of climbing gear and a cadre of mountaineers.
The Germanwings A320, which French prosecutors suspect was deliberately sent into a crash by co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, hit the mountain at 400 miles an hour and exploded on impact.
Four days into the search, “we have not found a single body intact,” chief forensic police investigator Col. Patrick Touron said in Seyne, about 5 miles away from the crash site.
The process of identifying remains from catastrophic events can take years. In New York City, investigators are still sorting through bone fragments and other human remains from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Nonetheless, French officials have vowed to do their best to help the families of the 150 people who died in Tuesday’s crash of the Barcelona-Düsseldorf flight.
“I assure you here that everything will be done to find the victims, identify them and return their bodies to their families,” French President François Hollande said Wednesday, speaking with his German and Spanish counterparts in Seyne during a ceremony.
In addition to Christian Driessens, the Belgian passenger, victims included 71 German citizens, 51 Spaniards and three Americans.
As of Friday, about 500 pieces of remains had been collected and ferried by helicopter to a base camp in Seyne, Col. Touron said. The search-and-recovery effort could take at least another 10 days, he said, adding that poor weather might slow down progress.
While the forensic squad meticulously combed the steep and slippery mountainside, French authorities started gathering DNA samples from relatives of the 144 passengers and six Germanwings crew members. As much as possible, French police are asking families to provide dental files from the victims, as well as toothbrushes or hairbrushes from which DNA samples can be extracted. Germany has supplied a special device to help French investigators read any biometric German passports that could be collected among the debris.
The signature Germanwings suit worn by cockpit crew may help investigators home in on the remains of Mr. Lubitz, the co-pilot, Mr. Touron said.
The police investigator said he expected French prosecutors would request extensive analysis of his remains—to determine whether he was on medication, for instance—but couldn't guarantee that it would be possible.
Plane crash recovery workers face treacherous terrain, high winds
The rescue workers battling to gather the pulverized pieces of Germanwings Flight 9525 and the remains of the 150 people on board must contend with high winds as well as treacherous terrain.
Winched down from helicopters on to the steep, icy slopes, where debris lies scattered across hundreds of meters, workers have had to be tied together in two-person teams.
One is there to carry out the investigation and recovery. The second is charged with ensuring their safety as they're buffeted by the weather.
Complicating matters, very few of the bodies have been found whole, Yves Naffrechoux, captain of rescue operations, told CNN on Friday.
And winds have picked up, making it difficult for helicopters to ferry the workers to the site in the French Alps in the first place, he said.
Authorities have deployed 45 Alpine policemen to help forensics officers -- not accustomed to working in mountain ravines -- recover the bodies safely, Naffrechoux said.
His team is based out of Seyne-les-Alpes, a normally sleepy Alpine village that since Tuesday's crash has been transformed into a hub for the recovery operation.
The leaders of Germany, France and Spain have visited. The families of the victims have laid flowers and prayed at a nearby memorial. Journalists have flocked to the spot as they report the latest developments.
Meanwhile, the rescue workers have continued their hazardous mission.
Workers hope to build access road
The recovery process has been difficult as there are many pieces and the weather has been unhelpful, Naffrechoux said.
Before anything could be recovered, the position of the bodies and debris had to be mapped. Human remains must be treated with due respect despite the tricky conditions.
The workers are now removing more bodies from the site, Naffrechoux said. The priority remains to find all the bodies and the elusive second "black box," the plane's flight data recorder, he said.
Investigators hope, once found, it could yield more clues into what happened on the flight deck of the Germanwings plane before it slammed into the mountainside at about 430 miles per hour. Already, the Marseille prosecutor, Brice Robin, has revealed that cockpit audio indicated that German co-pilot Andreas Lubitz "wanted to destroy the aircraft."
The recovery teams are trying to construct a road to access the site more quickly and aid the transportation of bodies to a DNA testing center where they are kept in refrigerated units, said Naffrechoux.
It's hoped the process will take 10 to 15 days, depending on weather, he said.
'Complicated process'
Testimonials posted by France's Interior Ministry from rescue and recovery workers at the scene also give an insight into the tough conditions at the remote crash site.
One, named as Commander Emmanuel G., of the Criminal Research Institute from the National Gendarmerie, said it was a "really complicated" process.
"We are working in two-person teams, whether it's alongside (police) mountain guides, the local gendarmes or the alpine firemen and emergency teams," he said. "We do not know how to continue in this situation otherwise, we really need them to ensure our security at all times."
"It's the first time police technicians and gendarmes are working together," an unnamed technician in one of those two-person teams is quoted as saying.
"We have total trust in each other. He's holding my life in his hands."
Saturday 29 March 2015
http://www.ktvq.com/story/28632749/plane-crash-recovery-workers-face-treacherous-terrain-high-winds
http://globalnews.ca/news/1907695/french-police-recover-remains-of-germanwings-9525-crash-victims/
http://www.wsj.com/articles/forensic-workers-in-germanwings-crash-face-daunting-task-1427491325
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/germanwings-no-intact-bodies-found-5413324
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