Mass Disaster Victim Identification: The Tsunami Experience

One of the most important reasons to identify unknown persons is because non-identification may result in nu- merous issues at emotional and legal level for the surviving family members and friends. To reach a level of scientific supported positive identification, which can withstand international legal scrutiny, the identi- fication process of mass disaster victims requires a well-structured and pre-planned management based upon the interna- tional Interpol DVI Standing Committee guidelines. The handling of the December 2004 Tsunami disaster, affecting people of different nationalities and ethnic origins, will be used as an example to illustrate this methodology and standard operating protocols which can be used under similar circumstances. The activities of the Belgian DVI Team in the Khao Lak area, as part of the multinational help force bringing assistance to the local Thai law enforcement agencies, is discussed. Taking part in the first operations of identification, we were confronted with the hard reality of the hugeness of this plane- tary tragedy having made on the whole more than 200,000 victims. Differences in composition of the teams and their working philosophies are illustrated, based on the experience of the Belgian multidisciplinary team including scientific forensic experts (pathology, anthropology, odontology), police offi- cers, members of the civil protection (with their technical capabilities in particular working conditions), but also a physi- cian, a nurse and a stress team. Some of the applied methods and techniques used in the identification process were reviewed and suggestions given about how improvements can be made for future reference.