Abstract
Identification of the victims is considered as one of the most important initial steps in the management of a mass disaster. Comparison of ante-mortem and post-mortem fingerprints (ridgeology), dental data and DNA profiles have been recognized as primary identification methods for Disaster Victim Identification (DVI). However, facial recognition and personal belongings are the widely used tools of identification in large disasters. A series of bombings hit Sri Lanka on the morning of 21 st of April 2019. In the city of Colombo around 131 people died. Most of the identifications were achieved through visual recognition, with a minor percentage by odontology, genetics and fingerprints. The procedure adopted in the response to the disaster is described in this paper highlighting the importance of advanced preparedness, inter-institutional cooperation, the empathetic approach in caring for the grieving families and the procedure to adopt in visual recognition in DVI.
Highlights
Man-made disasters resulting in mass fatalities is always a crime which needs proper death investigation
Management of the dead in a man-made disaster includes identification of the dead and collection of forensic evidence for crime investigation which needs to be done while maintaining the due respect and dignity of the deceased
In most mass fatality incidents a percentage of victims and human remains remain as “unidentified” when the disaster results in severe fragmentation of the remains [4]
Summary
Man-made disasters resulting in mass fatalities is always a crime which needs proper death investigation. Recording the place of recovery was important as bodies were brought from different disaster sites as well as from various hospitals which included the Colombo National Hospital and nearby private hospitals This helped in collecting the personal belongings which were removed during the initial injury management of these victims. After completing the autopsies of the identified bodies, the examination of fragmented remains commenced This process started one week after the disaster. All personal belongings collected from the bodies were handed over to the families after confirming the relationship between the deceased and the receiving person This was done in the presence of the investigating police officer at the time of handing over the remains.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
