The tsunami catastrophe DVI achievements in Thailand exemplified by the results of the Danish team (La catástrofe del Tsunami - Logros del uso del [Formulario de INTERPOL] “Identificación de Víctimas de Desastres, DVI” en Tailandia, ejemplificados por los resultados del equipo danés)

Hougen, H.P.
Palabras claves: Tusunami, identificación, equipo danés. Formulario DVI INTERPOL.

On December 26, 2004 an earthquake outside the Indonesian Province Ache caused a tsunami that hit the shores of the Indian Ocean resulting in a total of more than 150.000 deaths. In Thailand, approximately 5,000 vanished, and among them many foreign tourists staying at the popular beaches. Many of the victims were identified by friends and relatives during the first days after the catastrophe, but at the same time a large number, several times the recovered bodies, were missing. To establish the exact number of missing persons and to collect ante mortem data an intensive search was established by the police in the different tourists´ countries The foreign victims came from 36 different countries. The number of missing persons was steadily reduced and ended at 2,940 including 1,105 Thai citizens. Identification teams started their work two days after the catastrophe. At the same time a coordination committee with representatives of the different foreign countries and Thailand was formed. The teams consisting of forensic pathologists, morgue technicians, police technicians, forensic dentists and fingerprints experts worked in a site, a Buddhist temple, where the bodies were centralized. In the beginning the conditions were very primitive, the examinations were done in open air on the ground. After approximately one week, refrigerated containers became available and autopsy facilities were put up in another Buddhist temple nearby. After five weeks a container based refurbished field hospital was installed, where the facilities were excellent for the identification work.

Meanwhile, a computerized centre for comparison of ante mortem and post mortem data was set up, and all coordination and management was done by police representatives from the different countries. After some initial discussions all the participating countries agreed use the Interpol DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) forms, which proved to be excellent for this mass disaster. Up till this date, July 20 2005, 1,942 of the 2,940 victims have been identified, 67 percent by dental characteristics, 22 percent by fingerprints, 6 percent by dental and physical characteristics and fingerprints, while only 4 percent have been identified by DNA.

More than 300 Danish citizens were missed initially, but intensive efforts by the police including publication of missing person lists rapidly reduced the number of missed persons, and the final number was 38. Until now, 37 of the 38 missing persons have been identified, not including six bodies that were identified immediately after the catastrophe. The identified bodies were18 women and 19 men, the age ranges from 2½ to 74 years. The first identification was approved by Thai authorities four weeks after the catastrophe, and the last one nearly 7 months after. One person, an elderly lady, is still missing.

Experience regarding an international identification task of this magnitude was non-existing, but apart from some initial difficulties and minor misunderstandings in the daily work, the identification tasks soon become a daily routine and the international collaboration on all levels improved substantially.

REGRESAR