SURABAYA - Head of the Medical and Health Division (Kabiddokkes) of the East Java Regional Police, Kombes M Khusnan, stated that the process of identifying the bodies of victims of the collapse of the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School, Buduran, Sidoarjo, is estimated to take about three days.
"DNA tests are the last solution if visual identification and fingerprints are not possible. The time needed for DNA test results can be fast or slow, but in the best case about three days," Khusnan said as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, October 3.
He explained that the eight body bags of the victims had been received by the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team.
Of that number, five bodies have gone through the identification process but still require further investigation, while the other three bodies are still in the examination stage.
According to Khusnan, the most effective identification is done with dental data, especially for victims who have a history of dental examination or panoramic photos.
Fingerprints can also be used, but now many of their conditions have been damaged due to natural factors because the bodies have been for more than three days.
"Therefore, we are also preparing DNA examination as the last method. Tomorrow morning DNA samples that have been taken from the family will be sent directly to the Indonesian National Police Medical and Health Center (Pusdokkes Polri)," he said.
So far, 57 DNA samples have been recorded from families who reported the loss of their family members. That number can still change because there may be additional reports from the public.
Khusnan added that family ante mortem data support is needed to accelerate the identification process, ranging from the victim's last photo, the last clothes worn, to personal items.
"Identity data must be given by the family, not by the team, so that there is no misidentification," he said.
He emphasized that in general the condition of the body is still intact, although there are parts of the body that are damaged due to the natural process, not because of violence.
The entire identification process is carried out following international guidelines, one of which is from France.
Khusnan emphasized that the team did not examine the exact cause of death because this disaster was not a criminal act.
"Because this is a disaster caused by a collapsed building, our focus is on identifying victims, not causing death," he said.
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From the experience of previous cases such as the sinking ship in Banyuwangi, all the bodies were finally identified even though conditions were more difficult.
Therefore, he is optimistic that all victims of the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School can also be identified.
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