International standards in cases of mass disaster victim identification (DVI)

Abstract

Mass disasters with a large number of unknown victims are among the biggest challenges for the police and forensic disciplines. Historical events illustrate the development of different methods which can be used in such circumstances. The fire in the Ring-Theater of Vienna (Austria) in 1881 with 449 victims of which 284 were subsequently identified [1], or the fire in the Bazar de la Charite in Paris (France) with 126 victims in 1897 [2] are examples of the usefulness of identification procedures such as forensic autopsy, odontology, and finger printing. These two disasters from the nineteenth century were the beginning of modern identification processes in legal medicine [2]. In the following years several major accidents, especially after the introduction of regular civil air transportation services, demanded an effective diaster victim identification (DVI) system. Even today the identification of victims of mass disasters is still one of the most important tasks. Forensic experts are involved in different ways depending on the country of residence, and include forensic pathologists, forensic dentists, forensic anthropologists, forensic molecular biologists and other specialists. The organization of the identification process differs from country to country, and within the countries, depending on the historical and political structures and on the kind of disaster. The success of the identification essentially relies on the organization, the experience, and the documentation of findings. The communication between countries or states can be difficult, particularly in cases where victims have different nationalities. Therefore, the solution to such problems should be a standardized process. The recent natural disaster in Japan, triggered by a massive earth quake, also illustrates the need for standards in cases of radioactive contamination. Nobody has experiences in cases of simultaneous chemical, biological, or radioactive/nuclear (CBRNE) situations and assaults with a large number of contaminated bodies.