La identificación genética en grandes catástrofes: avances científicos y normativos en España

Abstract

Forensic genetics has played an indisputable role in the identification of victims of mass disasters that have occurred in the last decade. The recent development of specific guidelines and recommendations has been a key element in guaranteeing the coordination and effectiveness of multidisciplinary teams (forensic examiners, anthropologists, odontologists, fingerprint specialists, geneticists,..) who face this complex task. In Spain, with the aim of overcoming the coordination problems encountered during the process of identifying victims of the terrorist attack on March 11, 2004, a committee was set up in order to prepare a national protocol for joint action by medical examiners, scientific police and the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences (NITFS) in events with multiple victims, which was finally approved in January 16, 2009. In this paper we look at the scientific standards adopted in this protocol as regards the procedure for genetic identification. These standards are based on the recommendations of the Spanish and Portuguese Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (SPWG-ISFG) agreed by a large number of forensic genetics laboratories from Spain, Portugal and Latin America. We also review the experience of the NITFS in implementing these standards in the genetic identification of the victims in the recent air crash of flight JK-5022 at Barajas (Madrid, 20/08/08), as well as the terrorist attack of March 11, 2004 in Madrid and the Yakolev-42 air crash of May 26, 2003 in Turkey.