Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Licence needed for work use Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Disaster Victim Identification teams in for the long haul

Disaster Victim Identification teams in for the long haul.
6 March, 2011 - 11:05

Police say identifying all the victims of the Christchurch earthquake could take weeks, and possibly months.

Over 240 DVI staff are involved, including teams from Australia, UK, Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, Israel and Thailand.

Superintendent Sam Hoyle says the DVI teams continue to work carefully through the complex identification process but it won't be done overnight.

"We are acutely aware that families want their loved ones returned, particularly our guests from overseas, and our teams are working flat out to achieve this.

"However international experience from events such as the Boxing Day Tsunami and the Victoria bush fires has shown it can be months before all identities are confirmed.

"In exceptional cases it has taken years to identify all the victims of mass casualty events.

"This is painstaking, exacting work and the reality is very different from how it looks in television programmes such as CSI.

"You don't get DNA matches in seconds at the push of a button - it takes time.

"We are following international best practice standards and have some of the most experienced DVI specialists in the world working with us.

"The focus is to make accurate identifications. We are not going to rush this process and risk causing further pain to grieving families by making a mistake.

"If we make a mistake we create uncertainty and doubt for everyone.

"We can't make it better for the families but we can certainly make it worse for them if we get it wrong.

"We ask for your patience and understanding while our large team continues to work through this difficult and complex job."

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

Featured News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.