Showing posts with label Mass burial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mass burial. Show all posts

Monday, 6 July 2015

Malaysia buries another 24 human trafficking victims


Malaysia provided Muslim burials Monday to 24 human trafficking victims, bringing to 99 the total number of suspected Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants laid to rest after bodies were found near the Thai border.

Noh Dahya, Islamic Religious Department director in northwest Kedah state, was cited by state news agency Bernama as saying that the seven remaining victims out of the 106 discovered last month would be buried after the Eid ul-Fitr holiday.

Eid ul-Fitr comes at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and is expected to fall on July 17 this year.

On June 9, police said they had recovered the remains of 106 suspected human trafficking victims from gravesites found in the town of Padang Besar along the country’s northern border.

The rituals held in the early hours of Monday morning were the fourth round of burials, and saw the remains of 24 male victims interred in a single gravesite.

The first burial of trafficking victims was held June 21, when nineteen men and two women were laid to rest in two separate graves, with the rituals attended by residents of Kampung Tualang and other villages.

The remains of 30 other victims were buried June 29, followed by another 24 on July 4.

Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar had earlier said that security forces usually did not patrol the hilly border area where the bodies were found, but began to focus there after Thai police discovered dozens of bodies belonging to Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants in May.

Following the discovery of human trafficking camps in southern Thailand in early May, authorities launched a crackdown that led to smugglers fleeing and boatloads of migrants then turning up on Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian shores, while thousands more remained at sea.

Since a tri-nation conference on the Southeast Asian boat people crisis May 20, Indonesia and Malaysia have said they will take the Rohingya in for one year, ascertain which are asylum seekers and which are economic migrants, and then the international community will find homes for them.

Monday 6 July 2015

http://news.videonews.us/malaysia-buries-another-24-human-trafficking-victims-0627388.html

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Saturday, 4 July 2015

Funerals of 136 Bosnian victims to mark anniversary


This year’s 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre will be marked by the burial of 136 victims identified over the past year, an official said on Friday.

The Institute for Missing Persons said 160 corpses from the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb paramilitaries had been identified since last year’s July 11 anniversary.

The youngest is a 16-year-old boy of mixed Muslim-Serb parentage whose body was recovered from a secondary mass grave. The remains of 17 other under-18s have been identified.

“We have formally identified 136 victims, whose families have declared that they want the remains to be buried on July 11 this year... the identified persons are ready for the collective funeral on July 11," institute spokeswoman Lejla Cengic told Anadolu Agency.

They will be interred at Potocari memorial center.

The families of 24 victims are waiting to bury their loved ones as not all their remains have been found.

In the summer of 1995 Srebrenica was overrun by troops led by Ratko Mladic, currently on trial at The Hague for ordering the killings. Dutch UN peacekeepers watched on as Serb troops herded men and boys from the town to be murdered.

Since the end of the war, hundreds of Bosniak families have searched for missing relatives, most of who were buried in mass graves around the country.

A total of 6,166 Srebrenica victims have been buried at Potocari and a further 230 are buried outside the town.

Friday 3 July 2015

http://www.worldbulletin.net/world/161690/funerals-of-136-bosnian-victims-to-mark-anniversary

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Sunday, 28 June 2015

Karachi heat wave: 82 unidentified bodies buried in Edhi graveyard


Around 82 unidentified bodies, most of whom were victims of the heatstroke, were buried in the Edhi graveyard in the past two days, officials told The Express Tribune.

On Saturday, 25 bodies were buried while a day earlier, 57 bodies were buried, said the Edhi foundation’s spokesperson, Anwar Kazmi.

Mass funerals and burials for the deceased were held at the Edhi graveyard at Mawach Goth, which was established in 1985 to bury unidentified persons. The official said that due to the hot weather, unidentified bodies were being buried at the earliest. “The heat is damaging the bodies and we are burying them before they start to decompose. It is also difficult to store them once their condition deteriorates.”

In the graveyard, the bodies are distinguished from one another by a number allotted to the grave. Kazmi said that most people who are buried in this graveyard are poor.

He added that the relief in the weather had also improved conditions at the Edhi morgue, which was overcrowded earlier. By Saturday, 60 bodies were kept at the Edhi morgue, which has a capacity of 200 bodies.

Sunday 28 June 2015

http://tribune.com.pk/story/910976/mass-funeral-82-unidentified-bodies-buried-in-edhi-graveyard/

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Friday, 11 July 2014

Bosnia buries Srebrenica victims identified 19 years after the massacre


The remains of 175 victims of the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia have been laid to rest in their final destination of Sarajevo.

After 19 years the pain remains raw.

In an annual event, newly found or identified remains of the victims are transported through the town, so that their loved ones can finally pay their respects before being laid to rest.

Fatima Efendic, lost her son Amir in the mass killing. Having found his remains she can finally begin to grieve.

“I am happy we found him,” she said fighting back tears. “I dreamt of him last night. I was looking for him in my dream. I found him on top of a house, I held him in my lap. My wish and dream finally came true. I just took him into my lap.”

Around 8,000 Muslim men were rounded up and killed when the town was seized during the Bosnian war on July 11 1995. Just over 6,000 have been exhumed from mass graves to be buried at Potocari cemetery.

At the International Centre on Missing Persons, the search continues for the remaining bodies.

“We calculate that there are still about a thousand persons missing,” explained Kathryne Bomberger, Director-General of ICMP. “But also, in addition to that, in addition to these thousand persons, there will be thousands of additional pieces of bodies, of skeletal remains that will also be uncovered that could be re-associated to the ones in the mortuary. So, this is an extremely complex process.”

Though many families wait to recover more complete remains before burial, for those yet to find their missing sons, brothers, husbands and fathers, discovering just one bone would be enough to provide closure.

Friday 11 July 2014

http://www.euronews.com/2014/07/11/bosnia-buries-srebrenica-victims-identified-19-years-after-the-massacre/

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Wednesday, 8 January 2014

NBI on Haiyan bodies: No choice but temporary burial


With no refrigerator vans for disaster victim identification (DVI) operations in Yolanda-hit areas, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said unprocessed bodies in advanced state of decomposition are left with no choice but a temporary burial.

Dr Wilfredo Tierra, officer-in-charge (OIC) of the NBI Medico-Legal Division, said the bodies will be buried in shallow graves and exhumed later on for processing – an arrangement agreed on with the local government.

In an interview with Rappler on Wednesday, January 8, Tierra explained that "continuous verbal requests" by their bureau for refrigerator vans had been addressed to various agencies even before Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit.

Because of the less-than-ideal conditions in their DVI operations work site, the team is able to process only 40 bodies compared to what should normally be 150 bodies in a day.

Thus far, 418 unidentified bodies have been processed for DNA sampling and buried permanently at the Holy Cross Memorial. The samples will be kept for DNA testing later on.

The ante-mortem phase of the process will involve DNA testing of relatives coming forward to compare with that of the dead for identification.

The OIC added that DVI has always been a "tedious, difficult, and costly" process, citing the 5,000 dead bodies in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand which took up to two years to identify.

Constraints

Tierra’s division deploys a 13-man team working on a rotational 9-day basis – including during the previous holiday season when the 418 bodies were processed and buried at the Holy Cross Memorial, contradicting the pronouncement of Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez that the team halted operations.

The team is composed of forensic doctors, photographers, and chemists from the NBI Forensic Chemistry Division.

Due to the disproportionate number of government personnel to the dead, the team is forced to do tasks other than the processing of bodies. They have been moving bodies as well – a task supposedly for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

The NBI team on scheduled rotation, he said, also faces other constraints, including the frequent rain in the area which causes flooding and makes it harder to harvest specimen for processing.

In the initial phases, the lack of air transportation was also a problem.

Despite the constraints, the NBI assured the public that it is relying on tried and tested protocol – the Interpol DVI standards.

Tierra – who has been with the NBI Medico-Legal Division for 17 years now – said the Interpol DVI standards are in accordance with the protocol that the team employed in previous natural and man-made disasters. These included typhoons Reming, Sendong, Pablo, and the 2006 ULTRA stampede.

Multi-agency task

The NBI Medico-Legal Division is taking the lead in the DVI operations in affected areas, but the Department of Health (DOH) is in charge of the overall management of the dead.

Managing the thousands of dead bodies remains a “multi-agency task,” with the DOH, local government units, AFP, BFP, and non-government agencies such as the World Health Organization and International Committee of the Red Cross.

Tierra said the scale of Yolanda’s devastation is the biggest that he has encountered in his more than a decade of medico-legal service in government.

Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) devastated parts of the Eastern Visayas in November 2013, leaving thousands homeless and mourning for the dead.

Speed should not prevail over accuracy

"Speed should not prevail over accuracy," said Justice Secretary Leila De Lima about the ongoing burial of corpses in areas battered by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

It is the need for accuracy, among other things, that has delayed burial of the rapidly decomposing bodies.

"The corpses were not buried right away because they were still being processed. Processing is time-consuming," she explained, almost two* months after Yolanda devastated the Eastern Visayas. Processing, she added, is necessary to identify those left dead by the storm.

"We don't want to be turning over the wrong dead bodies to certain families," she emphasized.

The explanation came after the media reported 1,400 bodies left lying on a muddy open field in San Isidro, a farming village on the outskirts of hard-hit Tacloban City. There were also reports of unburied bodies in other devastated areas 7 weeks after the disaster.

She quelled fears that the government was taking its time in burying the bodies, while citizens took it upon themselves to bury loved ones and complete strangers.

"We are on double time to bury bodies, both processed and unprocessed," the DOJ chief said.

. To remedy the slow-going operation, local governments and national agencies agreed to temporarily bury the bodies. They will then be exhumed later on for processing by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), said De Lima.

Uncooperative weather

Rainshowers that drenched the Eastern Visayas the past few weeks was another major cause of delay.

"There were factors like rainy days in succession. It's difficult to work in a rainy environment. It's one of the causes for the delay in burials," she explained.

Contrary to media reports, the NBI did not stop rehabilitation operations during the holiday break, De Lima clarified. A skeletal force left in Tacloban continued processing of the bodies.

"Before holiday break, there were more than 400 processed bodies which were not yet buried. During the break, they were buried," she said in a mix of English and Filipino.

More help on the way

After an initial rift between the national and local governments that also hampered relief and rehabilitation efforts, De Lima said the two are coordinating closely with one another for burial operations.

More teams of forensic doctors and chemists who can help in the processing of dead bodies are on their way to Tacloban. Three teams were sent there on January 2 and more will be deployed, she said.

Such scientists are needed to identify bodies in an advanced state of decomposition. With their facial features marred by decomposition, only scientific analysis of their DNA can unlock their identities.

Rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson said the burial, which started on Thursday, January 2, is expected to be completed on Tuesday, January 7, if the weather cooperates. He said that Health Undersecretary Janette Garin is in Barangay (village) Suhi in Tacloban to personally supervise operations.

The Department of Public Works and Highways sent additional equipment such as backhoes and payloaders, to speed up the mass burial. By Saturday, January 4, the team is targeting the processing and burial of 300 bodies.

Wednesday 08 January 2014

http://www.rappler.com/nation/47496-nbi-haiyan-bodies-no-choice-temporary-burial

http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/issues/disasters/typhoon-yolanda/47186-doj-haiyan-burials-accuracy-speed

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Sunday, 5 January 2014

Burial of bodies in Tacloban to be finished Tuesday


Former Senator and now ‘Yolanda’ rehabilitation chief Panfilo Lacson says authorities expect to finish the burial of typhoon victims around Tuesday next week.

Some typhoon survivors have been complaining about the stench of the decomposing bodies, adding that they are frustrated by the government’s slow handling of the remains.

‘Yolanda’ barreled through the Visayas nearly two months ago.

In Malacanang, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte says forensic experts have already returned to Tacloban to resume their work after the holiday break.

So far, the death toll from ‘Yolanda’ stands at 6, 166, with 1,785 others still missing

Sunday 05 January 2014

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nation/regions/01/05/14/lacson-burial-bodies-tacloban-be-finished-tuesday

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Thursday, 2 January 2014

Typhoon Haiyan: Gov't agencies working on burial of 1,400 cadavers


Almost two months since Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit Central Visayas, the Palace says the Philippine government is working on speeding up the burial of 1,400 bodies.

On Thursday, January 2, Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said the Department of Health (DOH), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are "working closely" with the Tacloban City government to organize the burial, as reported by rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson.

"DOH has sent 1,500 body bags and protective kits for personnel doing the work; DPWH has sent additional backhoes and payloaders; and the NBI has redeployed its forensic team on the ground," Coloma said.

While he called the burial "urgent and important," he said the delay is caused by the procedure for identification.

"If you remember, when the participation of the NBI started, they say they would follow the protocol of the Interpol," he said.

But Coloma said they have asked the NBI if they could make the identification process more efficient.

"That's what we've agreed on. There's inter-agency coordination, the facilities have been provided and they are focused on speeding up the burial process giving due respect to the remains of those who perished in the calamity," he said.

Coloma however gave assurance the government is focused on the burial, and that it has provided the necessary manpower to complete the task.

The council's spokesman, Reynaldo Balido, said he was unsure if the official death toll already included the unburied cadavers, which currently lie in the farming village of San Isidro.

Yolanda killed 6,111 people and left 1,779 others missing on November 8, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

This made the storm, which also left 4.4 million people homeless, one of the deadliest natural disasters in Philippine history.

Thursday 02 January 2014

http://www.rappler.com/nation/47095-palace-gov-t-agencies-working-on-burial-of-1,400-cadavers

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Friday, 20 December 2013

22 killed in Kano road accident as seven die in tanker fire


A road accident along Marke village in Takai Local Government Area of Kano State yesterday killed 22 passengers of a Ford, marked XA671 NNG. Several people were injured even as another tragedy hit Rivers State yesterday when a loaded fuel tanker crashed at about 1am in Elele, Ikwere council area, barely 24 hours after fire razed the popular Mile One market in Port Harcourt.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the loaded tanker upturned at an area known as ‘roundabout’ and exploded. Seven died in the inferno, which also burnt about 30 houses, both residential and business buildings, six cars, three trailers and a police van parked around the area.

The state police command’s spokesman, Ahmad Muhammed, a Deputy Superintendent, confirmed the incident. on Tuesday, at about 2am, fire razed the Port Harcourt market and destroyed inestimable goods and property. Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has urged the police command to investigate the cause of the fuel tanker fire, according to a Government House statement. He visited the scene yesterday.

He said: “The police should investigate the cause of this fire. We hear a life was lost and properties have been damaged. We need to hear from the police and know what happened before the government can decide on what to do.”

Meanwhile, a more devastating tragedy occurred in Kano yesterday along Marke village in Takai Local Government Area, killing 22 passengers. The victims of the auto crash, include 10 women. Nine injured victims, who survived the crash, were rushed to Takia General Hospital.

Some of the deceased were burnt to death in the crash which happened at about midday.

According to the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Alhaji Garba Mohammed Ibrahim, the bodies were given mass burial at the scene of the crash by the community. They were buried at about 3.00 pm. Eyewitness said that the heavily-loaded Ford vehicle was also carrying bags of foodstuffs when it somersaulted and burst into flames following a suspected mechanical fault.

The sector commander appealed to motorists to drive more carefully even as he prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims. The Information Officer in the area, Malam Muntari Usman Romi, journalists that funeral prayer was conducted at the graveyard side by Malam Ibrahim Usman, adding that the burial was attended by the local government officials and traditonal rulers in the area.

He said the passengers were coming from Magami village in Takai local government and were travelling to the state capital.

Friday 20 December 2013

http://www.osundefender.org/?p=138722

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Tuesday, 26 November 2013

57 more bodies recovered in Tacloban


The Philippine National Police (PNP) has recovered 57 more cadavers in this city on Sunday, 17 days after super typhoon "Yolanda" (international code name: Haiyan) struck Eastern Visayas provinces.

Senior Superintendent Emmanuel Aranas, deputy director for operations of the PNP crime laboratory, said in a briefing Monday morning that more bodies have been recovered everyday as the national government launched massive clearing operations.

"We have to dispose cadavers immediately since it's already in the advanced stage of decomposition. Since they perished from natural calamities, families of victims don't even bother to identify dead bodies," Aranas said.

Dead bodies were retrieved by the 300 police personnel in the hardly hit coastal villages of Magallanes, Anibong and San Jose district. Clearing operations paved the way for the recovery of more bodies.

Since November 9, policemen have recovered 1,932 bodies in the typhoon-ravaged Tacloban, a city of more than 200,000 population, the capital of Eastern Visayas.

Of the total number, 235 bodies are still unidentified by the police scene of the crime operatives, according to Aranas.

"We are asking the National Bureau of Investigation to lead the identification of cadavers to facilitate the disposal of bodies," the official said, citing an administrative order of the health department designating the NBI as the lead agency in cadaver identification after natural calamities.

Police admitted that disposing these bodies have been hampered by lack of equipment that will transport cadavers to mass grave sites in northern villages of Suhi and Basper.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) deployed only six trucks to transport dead bodies from villages to mass grave sites.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported the number of casualties has reached 5,235 when super typhoon "Yolanda" hit central Philippines on Nov. 8. There are still 1,613 missing persons.

Deaths have been reported in 35 towns in Leyte, eight towns in Eastern Samar, and two towns in Samar, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

In typhoon-stricken Leyte towns of Palo and Tanauan, public plazas were converted by the local government as mass grave sites.

However, in many villages, residents tagged burial sites for their relatives. Some are located along roadsides, residential areas, vacant lots and near the shores.

Paula Sydiongco, assistant regional director of the Department of Health Eastern Visayas, said this practice is unlawful considering the health hazards posed to the community.

"We will look into that problem, but our priority for now is addressing other health risks arising from the disaster such as leptospirosis and water-borne diseases," Sydiongco said.

Aranas confirmed there are some illegal burials in Tacloban but they have to tolerate that for now considering the lack of resources to collect all cadavers.

"I think we should tolerate that for now, but we just make sure that burial sites are not close to water sources," he noted.

Tuesday 26 November 2013

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/75608/57-more-bodies-recovered-in-tacloban

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Tuesday, 12 November 2013

DOH rejects mass burial for 'Yolanda' typhoon victims, bodies should be properly documented and identified


The fatalities in last week's onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda should be properly identified and their loved ones notified before their remains are buried in a common grave, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said Monday.

Ona said there is no need to rush the burial of the victims because dead bodies do not pose immediate health risk.

“Those are cadavers and when you die, you are no longer infected. The bacteria dies with you,” he said.

It was estimated that as many as 10,000 people may have died in Tac-loban City alone when Yolanda’s strong winds triggered a storm surge that inundated the city.

A mass burial for Philippines Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) victims, local officials planned one mass grave of between 300 to 500 bodies in one area of Tacloban.

“They can bury the dead in a mass grave only after they have been identified by the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation). It is important for the bereaved families to know where they can find their dead relatives,” he added.

Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag said being able to retrieve and give proper burial to the remains of their loved ones would greatly ease the anguish of survivors in the tragedy.

“It is not just about burying the dead. It is tormenting if you do not know whether your loved one is just missing or dead. So it is very important for them to be able to give the last rites for their dead relatives,” Tayag said.

Tayag said the department is set to release guidelines for mass burial to concerned local government units.

The guidelines include setting up of a “collection point” for dead bodies.

“While the dead are being documented and identified, mass grave should be prepared. Authorities in charge should know how many bodies will be placed in a grave,” he added.

More grimly, the airport has been turned into a makeshift morgue for the growing number of bodies, found stacked in churches, snagged on tree branches or underneath rubble. Mass graves have been dug to accommodate the corpses, with police chief Elmer Soria reckoning that most victims either drowned or were crushed to death by crumbling buildings.

Tuesday 12 November 2013

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/11/11/13/doh-rejects-mass-burial-yolanda-victims

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Thursday, 26 September 2013

Cebu ferry disaster: Unknown casualties buried


White balloons and butterflies were released by relatives of the missing passengers of the ill-fated MV St Thomas Aquinas as the remains of the 46 unidentified casualties of the Aug. 16 sea tragedy were laid to rest yesterday at the Carreta Public Cemetery in Cebu City.

A total of 733 survived the collision between the St Thomas Aquinas and the MV Sulpicio Express Siete, a freighter owned by the Philippine Span Carriers Corp. in waters near Lauis Ledge in Talisay City. The Aquinas, which was en route to Cebu City from Nasipit, Agusan del Norte, was carrying 870 passengers and crew.

Divers retrieved 72 bodies from the Aquinas which sunk after colliding with the bulk carrier while 44 others were retrieved from other areas.

According to Luz Torevillas, 2GO passage manager, the bodies of the 70 identified passengers were transported to their respective hometowns.

A total of 21 passengers and crew remain unaccounted for, according to the coast guard.

The 46 bodies were transported from the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes to the cemetery Tuesday night and were placed in individual vaults near the burial site of the victims of the 2008 sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars.

Sulpicio Lines was renamed Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp. following the sinking of the Princess of the Stars.

Labels were placed on each coffin for easy identification once the results of the DNA tests conducted by forensic experts from the PNP Crime Laboratory become available. The results are expected to be released within three months, officials said.

An official of 2GO shipping lines, the operator of the MV St Thomas Aquinas told Cebu Daily News that relatives of the casualties may opt to have the remains of their kin exhumed.

Some of the relatives of the 21 missing passengers who attended yesterday’s interment ceremony, together with city officials led by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Talisay City Mayor Johnny delos Reyes, coast guard, police and fire officials were ushered to tents set up by funeral coordinators from Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes and representatives of 2GO shortly before 8 a.m yesterday. Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III arrived after the ceremony ended.

The 21 may be still within the wreck of the Aquinas, which sank after the accident.

There was no representative from the Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, who presided over the Requiem Mass, comforted the grieving families and prayed that similar tragedies will not happen.

After the speeches, Palma blessed the burial site. White balloons and butterflies were released as the song “I will be here” played in the background.

Thursday 26 September 2013

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/495643/unknown-casualties-buried

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Tuesday, 17 September 2013

Mass burial set for unidentified ship collision victims


A mass burial has been set for 47 unidentified bodies recovered after the collision last month of a passenger ferry and a cargo vessel here.

Neil Sanchez, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) officer, said they have decided to bury the remaining bodies due to health concerns.

The mass burial is set for Sept. 25 at the public cemetery in Barangay Carreta and 2Go Group, Inc., owner and operator of M/V St. Thomas Aquinas, will shoulder the burial expenses.

“We really have to go through with the burial because of health concerns. The advanced state of decomposition of some of the bodies have made embalming impossible,” Mr. Sanchez told reporters.

The unidentified bodies have been assigned case numbers pending the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) test results.

This would facilitate the release of the bodies to the relatives after the results are released, Mr. Sanchez said.

The 47 unidentified victims were among the 116 fatalities in the sinking of M/V St. Thomas Aquinas last Aug. 16.

The passenger vessel, which carried 870 people, sank shortly after colliding with cargo vessel M/V Sulpicio Express Siete in a narrow channel off Talisay, Cebu.

The ferry came from Nasipit in Agusan del Sur on a day-long journey.

A Special Board of Marine Inquiry was opened on Aug. 23 in Cebu City, led by Commodore Gilbert Rueras of the Philippine Coast Guard.

As of Sept. 17, the total number of fatalities from the collision was at 116, with 21 people still missing.

Of the bodies recovered, 69 have been identified while 47 remained unidentified. A total of 733 survived the accident.

Mr. Sanchez said the families still have the option to bury their loved ones in Cebu or have them cremated after the DNA test results are released.

“For as long as families are legitimate claimants, they can claim the bodies even after the burial,” he added.

Accidents at sea are common in the Philippines because of frequent storms, badly maintained boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations.

In 1987, the ferry M/V Doña Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the Philippines, killing more than 4,341 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.

In 2008, the ferry M/V Princess of the Stars capsized during a typhoon in the central Philippines, killing nearly 800 people.

Tuesday 17 September 2013

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=Mass-burial-set-for-unidentified-ship-collision-victims&id=76634

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Friday, 28 June 2013

'Go slow on last rites, bodies don't spread disease'


A group of senior scientists from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has warned the Uttarakhand government, under pressure to finish mass cremations at Kedarnath, against the consequences of burning piled up bodies without a thought to "psychological closure".

TISS's Dr Ravikant Singh, said it's "important" to first try and identify the bodies. "There are the clothes victims have on them. There would be cellphones they've used. Kin need to know if their loved ones have really died," Singh said. "Otherwise, they'll keep hoping that someday the door will open and people they have assumed to be missing — in the absence of concrete evidence of their death — will walk in. There needs to be psychological closure. Else, it might lead to lifelong trauma and hallucinations. What's happening at Kedarnath is wrong."

The doctors said governments often justify mass cremations after natural disasters in the name of diseases bodies spread. "But there are myths that need to be broken," Singh said. "Bodies don't cause epidemics. And have negligible health risks for the public as long as they don't touch or handle dead bodies. Smell is not a health risk in well-ventilated area."

In something that the ITBP hinted at when its DG Ajay Chadda told the Uttarakhand government that "burial of bodies is not in our charter of duties", the scientists said the urgent task is care for survivors. The doctors, who were here first on June 20 and readying a second batch of scientists to reach Uttarakhand, said rapid mass burial of victims is not justified on public health grounds.

Though this might be controversial, the scientists, who said no one was listening to them, have come armed with a presentation for the state that says burial is preferable to cremation. The burial site should be 1.5m deep, at least 200m from drinking water sources, with bodies side by side and not piled up, and with clearly marked spaces for each. "Seeing the body and being able to say goodbye allows an emotional closure," one doctor said.

The recommendations are in keeping with a Pan American Health Organization report of 2004 that has its director Mirta Roses Periago noting: "Regrettably, we continue to be witness to the use of common graves and mass cremations owing to the myths and beliefs that corpses pose a high risk for epidemics."

Friday 28 June 2013

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Go-slow-on-last-rites-bodies-dont-spread-disease/articleshow/20808832.cms

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Friday, 3 May 2013

Chibombo accident victims to be buried in mass grave


Government has decided to bury the 17 Chibombo road traffic accident victims in a Mass grave in Kabwe where all the deceased came from.

Briefing the press in Kabwe today, Central province Permanent Secretary Annie Sinyangwe said government in the province will take over the burden responsibility of burying the accident victims from their families.

Mrs Sinyangwe said the government authorities at the province have visited all the homes and identified the deceased who happened to have been all Kabwe residents and traders of the market, adding that the day they met their fate they were all going to Lusaka to order merchandise for sale.

She said the burials which will take place on Saturday 4th May will be conducted by the government at the old St. Mary’s cemetery in Kabwe, after the church service to be conducted by the Zambia Army Chaplains and the Church mother bodies at Railways grounds where all mourners will assemble.

She said some families have requested to bury their deceased relatives elsewhere and that government will not restrain them from doing so, adding that the Municipal council has already issued the burial permits to all the families.

The Permanent Secretary welcomes everyone who wants to attend the burial to Kabwe and that for further details, they could contact Kabwe District Commissioner, Mr Patrick Chishala.

Earlier Kabwe District Commissioner who was accompanied by His worship the Mayor, Moses Mwansa, two Members of Parliament, Honorables Sydney Mushanga and James Kapyanga and the Councillors gathered in a meeting with the deceased families to discuss the funeral arrangements.

And Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit Regional Coordinator Ingribet Bondo said his office has given to each deceased family five 50 kilograms bags of mealie-meal, 10 litres of cooking oil, a 50 kg bag of Kapenta and 50 kg bag of beans to help out at the funeral.

On Tuesday 30th April, 17 people died in the traffic road accident which involved a Kabwe- Lusaka bound Mini bus in Chibombo district in Central province.

Friday 3 April 2013

http://www.lusakatimes.com/2013/05/02/chibombo-accident-victims-to-be-buried-in-mass-grave/

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Wednesday, 1 May 2013

Bangladesh: 32 unidentified bodies buried at Jurain graveyard


Thirty-two unidentified bodies retrieved from the debris of collapsed Rana Plaza were buried on Wednesday at Jurain graveyard, with the graves bearing the numbers corresponding to their DNA samples.

A century-old Islamic charity Anjuman-e-Mufidul Islam performed the last rites at the graveyard.

Executive Director of the charity Abul Kashem said they had dug 60 graves at Jurain.

Dhaka district’s Additional Magistrate Abul Fazal Mir told bdnews24.com the DNA samples of the bodies had been preserved, so that their identity could be confirmed through tests if anyone came claiming them later.

Executive Magistrate Rebeka Sultana said the DNA identity of 21 unidentified bodies kept in the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) morgue was matched on Wednesday noon. The body of a deceased, identified as a female readymade garment worker Hasina, was handed over to her relatives later.

Another body was kept at the hospital since two people had claimed it.

After the first namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayer) in front of the DMCH around 2pm, 19 unclaimed bodies were brought to the Jurain graveyard. Fourteen unclaimed bodies were brought there from the morgue of Salimullah Medical College and Hospital, also known as Mitford Hospital.

Of the 17 unidentified bodies kept at the Mitford Hospital, the identity of one female garment worker Sultana, 22, was confirmed at the last moment. Though the body was handed over to her relatives, two other bodies were kept at the morgue since they were claimed by several people.

Executive Magistrate Khadiza Begum said after the second funeral prayer of the victims at the graveyard, relatives of another female garment worker Fahima confirmed her identity. She was also buried at the graveyard after the last rites.

The process of burying the victims started at about 3pm.

Besides the locals, the relatives of those still missing since the collapse of the nine-storey commercial building Rana Plaza at Savar on Apr 24 gathered at the graveyard looking for the bodies of their loved ones.

Additional Magistrate Abul Fazal Mir said a total of 70 bodies recovered from the concrete rubbles were sent to the two hospital morgues. Of those, 35 were identified and handed over to their relatives. Three bodies were still at the hospital morgues because of several claims for them.

Meanwhile, five people injured in the country's worst-ever industrial disaster succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at the DMCH, with one of them, Selim Rana of Panchagarh district, dying on Wednesday morning.

The authorities handed over the body to his brother Shahidul Islam.

Rescuers pulled out 18 more bodies from the debris of Rana Plaza in Savar as the rescue operation stepped into eighth straight day on Wednesday.

With the fresh recovery of bodies, the toll from the deadly building collapse now stands at 411, according to the Dhaka District control room, opened close to the site to provide information on the tragedy.

Wednesday 1 May 2013

http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/05/01/32-bodies-buried-at-jurain-graveyard

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Tuesday, 30 April 2013

Unclaimed bodies to be buried on Tuesday


Twenty nine unidentified bodies that were retrieved from the debris of collapsed Rana Plaza will be buried on Tuesday at Jurain graveyard. Their DNA samples have been collected.

The bodies were kept at the morgue of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) for identification.

Dhaka district Additional Magistrate Abul Fazal Mir told bdnews24.com that the unclaimed bodies were handed over to Anjuman-e-Mafidul Islam, a charitable Islamic welfare organisation, on Monday afternoon, five days after the country’s worst-ever industrial disaster.

Of the 29 unidentified people, 26 are women and three are men.

He said that DNA samples were collected from the bodies so that their identity can be confirmed through tests if anyone claims them later.

Lecturer of the Forensic Department at Dhaka Medical College (DMC) Sohel Mahmud told bdnews24.com that they collected the teeth of the victims as DNA samples to match the samples of any claimant.

Executive Director of the century-old charity Anjuman-e-Mufidul Islam Abul Kashem said that the last rites would be completed at the Jurain graveyard on Tuesday.

In November last year, bodies of 52 unclaimed workers, charred in a devastating fire at Tazreen Fashions in Ashulia, were also buried at Jurain graveyard in the capital after conducting their DNA tests.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Savar tragedy climbed to 381 even as rescuers comprising firefighters, untrained local volunteers and army men have started removing massive piles of rubbles with heavy machinery five days after the structure collapsed.

Most of the victims were garment workers. The building housed five readymade garment factories that employed nearly 5000 workers. Apart from that 300 shops were also based there.

There are some unclaimed bodies still lying at Sir Salimullah Medical College and Hospital mortuary.

After their recovery from the debris, the bodies were first taken to makeshift mortuary at local Adhar Chandra School playground for identification.

After identification the bodies were handed over to their relatives while the unclaimed bodies were sent to DMCH and Sir Salimullah Medical College.

Tuesday 30 April 2013

http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/04/29/unclaimed-bodies-to-be-buried-on-tuesday

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Sunday, 28 April 2013

Igbogun village motor accident: unidentified victims get mass burial


It was a day of outpouring of emotions, crying and wailing. Friends and family members of victims of the April 5 motor accident that occurred in Igbogui village in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, created time to say bye-bye to their loved ones at the scene of a mass burial at a cemetery in Benin City. BANJI ALUKO, who captured the melancholic mood of the people at the cemetery, reports.

IF Nnaemeka Anyawu knew that death was awaiting him on the road on Friday, April 5, he surely would not have embarked on the infamous journey that violently took his life that date. According to Judith Anyawu, his sister, Nnaemeka had left that morning to see their parents in Enugu, where they live. “He left early in the morning and I followed him to the door as he waved goodbye. I never knew I would not see him again,” Judith said of his 31-year-old brother who graduated from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) with a degree in Geology and Mining.

At the scene of the mass burial, Judith delivered an elegy-like short speech to the remains of his brother and those of 50 others who were all put into the ground early that morning. Describing her late brother as tall, chocolate-coloured, social and handsome, she asked why death took her brother at his prime. “Nnaemeka, you came to this world and departed quickly. You didn’t tell me it would all end this way. Anyway, God knows the best,” she offered while trying to control the tears that flowed freely from her eyes.

Off course she was not alone as families and friends of the victims of the accident involving an articulated vehicle belonging to the Dangote Group, a fuel-laden petrol tanker and an Enugu-bound luxury bus belonging to the Young Shall Grow Motors besiege the First Cemetery, Benin to pay homage to their departed loved ones. For many of them, the entire episode was like a dream as they watch as the remains of their people were neatly parked in polythene body bags and put into the dug ground that served as the mass grave.

While Judith only lost a brother to the accident, Kelvin Aniekwe was more unfortunate as he lost his wife and two young daughters.

Wearing a pair of black jeans, black shirt and a black sunshade, he could not offer a word throughout the time the bodies of the victims were conveyed from the lorry to the time they were put into the ground; he was just looking. Even when Apostle Barnabas Chukwukere of End Time Soul Winners Outreach, Benin City, prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims, he appeared not to betray emotions as he fixed his eyes on the mass grave in front of him.

His brother, who accompanied him to the site, informed that his brother’s late wife had left Lagos for Enugu with the two little girls to see her mother, the children’s grandmother. He was particularly concerned about the cause of the accident as he shouted, “Government should do something about this needless loss of lives o ! They should really do something. They must ensure that trailers and tankers are not allowed to move at night so that this kind of carnage will not occur on our roads again because if a petrol tanker was not involved in the accident, these people would not have died.”

There was also the pathetic story of Chika Nwafor, an accounting consultant with the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) whose close friend, Billy Anyaji, said could have missed the accident. “To me, it was one bad dream. Chika Nwafor was not somebody who just passed by. He was a blessing to everyone he came across. The question is what is the reason why good things don’t last? I had accompanied him to Ekene (Motors) that very day and not to Young Shall Grow. When I heard about the accident, I went to Ekene (Motors) because that was where I dropped him. What happened and how he ended up at Young Shall Grow, I don’t know but God understands everything that happened in this world. I think Ekene (Motors) had a problem and he crossed over after I left. He came to Lagos on Thursday from Enugu and slept in my house. The following day, he was on the road again to attend a wedding in Enugu on Saturday and see his family. I was telling him that he was a workaholic and that he needed to give himself a rest. I never knew our friendship would in this world would end this way,” he said mournfully.

The story of Amaka Okonkwo, a final year student of History and International Studies of the Nnamdi Azikwe University, also evokes pity. Ubaka Onochie, his uncle who came from Lagos for the burial said Amaka was returning to Awka from Lagos where she had gone to enjoy the Easter break. “Amaka Okonkwo was a lovely young girl in her early twenties. The last time I saw her was January. Two weeks before the accident, we spoke on phone and she told me that she would be coming to Lagos during the Easter break.

“My sister called me that she learnt she died in a motor accident and I immediately put a call through to his brother, who confirmed that her name was among the people who boarded a ‘Young Shall Grow’ luxury bus that was involved in an accident. I immediately traveled down to Benin where the said the corpse were deposited. On getting to UBTH, I was taken to the morgue but I could not identify the corpse. None of the corpse was identifiable because they were all roasted alive.

Speaking at the scene of the mass burial, the Chief Mortician of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, (UBTH) Mr Wilfred Aikhonogie, said 51 out of 53 bodies of the accident victims were given the mass burial as their bodies could not be identified while two victims, who could be recognised, were released to their families for burial.

It was not that the family members were contented that there people should be given mass burial anyway. Ani Justin, who lost a brother, Chibuzor, to the accident said he made frantic efforts to identify his brother. “I have no option but to accept the fact that my brother would be buried in another land,” he said while Chika Odiamah said he spent three days at the UBTH trying to identify his brother but when he could not, he finally agreed to the mass burial.

There were also knocks for the transport company over the manner the accident was handled. Billy Anyaji narrated his experience in the hands of the transport company, berating them for what he called their inhuman treatment. “I first went to Ekene Motors because it was there that I dropped my friend. I later went to the Young Shall Grow office at Jibowu. The people there denied that they didn’t have the identity of the people in the bus. They asked us to go to their headquarters at Maza Maza. On getting to Maza Maza, they said I should go to the computer room. From the computer room, they asked me to go to another place at Navy Town. When we got to Navy Town, I knew they were just dribbling us and that my guy had died. Throughout this period at their office, they were loading as if nothing happened.”

The same thing goes for Ubaka Onochie who said that the transport company kept families members of the victims in the dark. “They didn’t show enough concern and there were laxities on their part. They did not provide useful information and they kept turning people around. When I left UBTH on Monday, three days after the accident, none of the managers of the company had visited the hospital,” Ubaka stated.

The families were further peeved when they learnt that officials of the transport company were not present at the cemetery. Even when one of the bereaved family members shouted that the transport company was not present at the burial site, nobody said anything contrary to the effect, accentuating the fact that the transport company did not actually send any representative to the burial.

However, a policeman who spoke with the reporter said the decision of the transport company to shun the burial was understandable. “If they had sent any representative, that person could have been killed here. Remember they were accused of not doing enough when the accident happened. That may explain reason they did not send anybody here,” the policeman said while the burial was ongoing.

Sunday 28 April 2013

http://tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/component/k2/item/10568-igbogun-village-motor-accident-crying-wailing-as-victims-get-mass-burial

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Tuesday, 23 April 2013

Exhumed remains of WWII Soviet soldiers reburied at Poland cemetery


The remains of 431 Soviet army soldiers killed during a World War II battle in Poland were reburied over the weekend, Russian military officials said.

Vyacheslav Polovinkin, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry office in charge of military memorials in Poland, said the remains of the Soviet soldiers killed during the 1945 Siege of Kustrin in western Poland were laid to rest Sunday at an army memorial cemetery at Cybinka, Poland, RIA Novosti reported.

The remains had been exhumed from a 1950s mass grave near the battle site at Kustrin -- what is now called Kostrzyn-on-the-Oder -- after months of painstaking work.

The Soviet soldiers fell during an Eastern Front battle in the final months of World War II at Kustrin, about 50 miles from Berlin. It was one of the final roadblocks between the advancing Soviets and the German capital.

German troops turned the industrial town into a powerful fortified area meant to prevent the advance of Soviet troops to Berlin. The city was severely damaged during the 1945 assault.

A 2011 book about the battle, "The Siege of Kustrin" by British author Tony Le Tissier, said the Germans defended the outpost tenaciously, sending high school students and elderly men to fight against the Soviet soldiers. The Germans were driven from Kustrin after a 60-day siege that resulted in thousands of casualties on both sides.

After its capture, Soviet troops killed in the siege were buried in several mass graves. In 1953, the remains of the soldiers were transferred to a military cemetery near Kostrzyn but over the years it had become clear the work had been carried out hastily and the identities of the soldiers were lost.

Late last year, Polish researchers found the remains of more than 100 soldiers and work continued this spring when more than 300 more remains were found.

The Polish historical group Witez carried out the exhumation work with the help of domestic and foreign volunteers from Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Germany, its director, Julian Wierzbowski, told the Polish news agency PAP.

In one of the graves, which contained the remains of 40 soldiers, volunteers found a medal for bravery. The number stamped on it could help officials establish the identity of its owner and that could yield clues to the identities of others buried at the site.

Work on the exhumations is expected to be competed in fall.

Sunday's reburial in Cybinka was preceded by a short service performed by the Orthodox parish in Torzym. It was attended by representatives of the Russian, Belarusian and Kazakh embassies, the news agency reported.

Before World War II, the military cemetery in Kostrzyn was a German sports stadium but over the decades became forgotten and is covered by forest, with its only remaining monument an entrance gate.

Wierzbowski told the Polish newspaper Gazeta Lubuska remains found were mostly incomplete skeletons, which often lacked the head, but there were exceptions in which the remains of several soldiers had been preserved in their entirety.

"Some of the people had with them small personal items like knives, razors or medallions," he said.

Krzysztof Socha, an archaeologist at the Museum of the Kostrzyn Fortress, added some of the bodies had amputated limbs while others were charred, indicating they had died in fires.

Tuesday 23 April 2013

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2013/04/23/Exhumed-remains-of-WWII-Soviet-soldiers-reburied-at-Poland-cemetery/UPI-78321366689960/

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Thursday, 18 April 2013

Planned mass burial for slain 12 policemen in Bayelsa rejected


The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has turned down the proposed plan by the Bayelsa State Police Command to conduct a mass burial for the burnt and decomposed corpses of the 12 Policemen killed a fortnight ago by armed men suspected to be ex-militants.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the Bayelsa Police Command led by Commissioner, Mr. Kingsley Omire, had been under pressure from families of the slain policemen to release to them the corpses of their loved ones.But such request was turned down by Kingsley Omire with the claim that the identity of the deceased officers cannot be determined.

Indications however emerged yesterday that the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has kicked against request by the Bayelsa State command to conduct a mass burial for the 12 policemen killed by gunmen in Bayelsa State.

According to Police sources, the IG and other top police officers at the Headquarters argued that the idea of mass burial for the slain policemen is derogatory and insisted that a medical examination must be conducted on the mutilated bodies to ascertain their identities.

A senior police officer told our correspondent that the IG had already sent a team of qualified pathologists to conduct the examination. The Medical Team, according to the security source, is headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, "they have commenced investigations"

"The IG has ordered medical investigations to know e identities of persons killed by the gunmen. The IG is against burying them in a mass grave despite the fact that their bodies were burnt beyond recognition. The inquiry is ongoing and the team which is led by an assistant Commissioner, a pathologist, has commenced the investigation", he said.

Attempts to speak with the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr.Alex Akhigbe, failed as he did not answer his calls and neither reply text messages to him.

Thursday 18 April 2013

http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/52249/2013/04/17/ig_rejects_planned_mass_burial_slain_12_policemen_bayelsa.html

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Tuesday, 16 April 2013

“Mass burial for accident victims is almost inevitable”


For victims of fatal accidents, mass burials are often inevitable. Recently, the authorities of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), held a mass burial for the over 60 persons burnt to death in a road accident which occurred along the Benin-Ore expressway on April 5.

With different burial rites and traditions overlooked and the feeling of having to choose the burial site of a family member neglected, many victims are often buried alongside other bodies, because of circumstances of identifying the victims’ bodies. The Nigerian Tribune conducted an opinion poll, asking Nigerians if they supported mass burial for accident victims. Respondents commented on our Facebook page and Doyin Adeoye brings the excerpts:

Ojoawo Iyanuoluwa: No, I don’t support it because I feel it is not honourable and befitting, except for security forces who were killed on duty or those who died in the course of serving the country, but for ordinary citizens, I don’t think it is appropriate. Corpses should be given to family members of the deceased and should only be given a mass burial if no family member was found.

Ahmed Medlat Olatidoye: I feel it is a two way thing. If the family members could be present to identify their deceased, then they should be handed the corpse. However, at times, the deceased might not be easy to identify due to extreme burns and at other times, no family member may come forth to claim the body, so in such situation, mass burial is inevitable.

Ogedengbe Muhammed Sikiru: Where the body of the victim could still be identified either by the government agent or the deceased’s family members, such body should be released to the family, but if otherwise, mass burial is the only option. Blessing Adewale: Mass burial for accident victims is not really proper if the victims could be identified by their relatives, because various tribes have their own means of carrying out burial rites. So the issue of mass burial is not really appropriate, unless if the accident is extremely fatal to the extent that victims cannot be identified.

Adeyinka Aremu: I don’t believe in mass burial, so far family members of the deceased are still alive. No matter what, the families should be contacted and handed over the corpse.

Grace Ebunoluwa Ameh: No, in the sense that the deceased have their own family members who may want to take the corpse to their village. So if bodies could still be identified, then the families should be given the corpses.

Peterside Ajakaiye Omo Ajakaiye: Yes, I would support mass burial if the bodies cannot be recognised, or not claimed.

Samson Sepete Kunle: I do not support giving people mass burials.

Abefe Ayodeji Ismail Adelani: Yes, I support it because, the best thing is to give them mass burial so as to avoid wrong disposition of corpses to family members, where people would be given bodies of victims that do not belong to them.

Victoria Ayo: Mass burial for accident victims that could not be recognised is appropriate.

Egbeleke Ademola: If they cannot identify their victims, then I think a mass burial is the only option.

Gbenga Olayiwola: I don’t support mass burials in any way because some cultures require that their sons and daughters should be buried on their land or in some cases, burial rites are highly important. Mass burial obviously would not put this into consideration and some cultures are highly traditional.

Salau Lukman Isaac: I think it depends on the nature of the accident. If the accident is very fatal and the bodies of the dead could not be identified, then a mass burial is the best option. But if the identity of the dead can be recognised, then I don’t think mass burial is necessary. Mass burial for accident victims should be conditional.

Quadri Balogun: I think mass burials are almost inevitable in most cases, because when a victim is burnt beyond recognition, then there is no other choice than to bury the victims in mass graves.

Comrade Immunity: Yes, I support mass burials for accident victims on two occasions, first, if the body is not complete or damaged beyond recognition, and secondly, if their relations could not be contacted.

Tunmise Diamond: I think giving mass burials to accident victims is the best way to sort them out, especially when there is no one to claim the bodies. I believe that would be a relief, even to the families, from the shock of the gory sight of the corpses and the emotional stress of the burial. Comrade Akorede Sha

kir: Talking from the religious perspective, a man’s soul is highly valued by the creator. Hence, there should be an extreme sympathy and human feelings for accident victims, by giving immediate attention to their bodies. For instance for a hit and run victim, attending to such person, shows a sense of humanity. So for accident victims, I totally support mass burial.

Tony Clement: Whoever dies, knows nothing about how he or she is buried or whoever he or she is buried with. In my opinion, accident victims with no form of identity or whose people could not be contacted, have automatically become the state’s property. So, such victims should be given mass burial. I don’t believe it is awkward.

Oluwatosin Olatunji: When the bodies are badly burnt beyond recognition. Then there is no way the bodies can be identified. And also, the hospitals cannot continue to hold on to the bodies of victims, so mass burial is, in some cases, appropriate. Tuesday 16 April 2013

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