Police DVI team identifies four bodies

The National Police Disaster Victims Identification (DVI) team has identified four victims from the Trigana Air plane that crashed in Pegunungan Bintang regency, Papua, on Sunday.

During a press conference at the Bhayangkara Police Hospital In Ja-yapura on Thursday, the head of the National Police Medical Center, Brig. Gen. Arthur Tampi, said the four victims were identified from their medical records and belongings.

Earlier, the DVI team had taken DNA samples from relatives of 53 of the 54 victims, but had yet to take samples from the relatives of Mario, a Trigana Air mechanic, who were still to arrive from Jayapura.“We target to identify 10 bodies daily,” said Tampi.

According to Trigana Air operational director Benny Sumaryanto, Trigana Air will cover the costs of transporting the bodies to their home towns.The heirs of each victim will get Rp 1.35 billion (US$100,000) from Trigana Air and Rp 100 million from state insurance firm PT Jasa Raharja in compensation.

Benny said that the compensation would be handed over after all the required data was provided. “It may take three to four weeks to deliver the compensation because we still need identification, such as birth certificates, identity cards and household cards, so as to prevent mistakes when handing over the compensation,” said Benny.

Benny said that currently the families of all the passengers and crew members were already in Jayapura. All the victims are currently being identified at the Bhayangkara Police Hospital.

As many as 50 body bags were transported from Oksibil to Jayapura on Thursday by Trigana Air planes and an Indonesian Military (TNI) MI helicopter.

“All the bodies have already arrived at the hospital for identification,” said Papua Police chief Brig. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw.Families of victims who have yet been identified have been assembled at the Tongkonan building, owned by the Toraja community association, located 200 meters from the hospital.“They are given psychological counselling in addressing the disaster they’re facing,” said Papua Police chief spokesman Sr. Comr. Rudolf Patrick.

Separately, Papua Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Rudolf Rodja said the search and rescue team had found the flight data recorder, part of the black box, which is to be sent to Jakarta on Friday. National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) head Air Marshal FHB Sulistyo had earlier handed over the plane’s flight cockpit recorder to the National Transportation Safety Committee.

Friday 21 August 2015

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