Starting With The Identification Of Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 Passengers, The DVI Team Reveals Its Difficulties

JAKARTA - The National Police Disaster Identification (DVI) Team began to identify the body parts of the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 passengers that crashed into the waters of the Thousand Islands after receiving 16 body bags from the SAR Team.

"Today we will start investigations. This morning it has started," said Head of the National Police's Center for Health and Safety, Kombes Ahmad Fauzi at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital, East Jakarta, Monday, January 11.

Fauzi said that his team faced difficulties in identification. Because the 16 body bags are not a complete part.

"Yes, we do not know the condition of the corpse before it is in the morgue. Only today will we check the shipment of body parts from the TKP (the scene of the case). Indeed, the obstacles to finding the body's condition are not intact. The challenges are heavier. But that doesn't mean it can't be done," he said.

However, he made sure the identification could still run using a special technique even though he did not go into detail. "We have certain techniques so that we can minimize unreadable samples," added Fauzi.

Currently, the DVI Team has received 40 DNA samples from the families of Sriwijaya Air passengers. DNA samples were received from victims' families in Jakarta, Pontianak, East Java, and South Sulawesi.

Previously reported, the Sriwijaya Air SJ-182 plane on the Jakarta-Pontianak route had lost contact in the Thousand Islands shortly after taking off from Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Cengkareng on Saturday, January 9, 2020. Furthermore, the plane was confirmed to have crashed between Male Island and Male Island. Lancang Island, Thousand Islands.

In total, the plane carried 62 people including 12 crew members and 50 passengers. The 50 passengers consisted of 40 adult passengers, seven children and three babies.

Furthermore, the National Police is currently opening antiemortem posts in two different places, namely in Pontianak and at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital.

The post at the Police Hospital operates 24 hours. So, the families of passengers who want to provide specific data or information related to the passengers of the unlucky plane can come to the post.