Identification Of Victims Of Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School Ambruk Constrained By Broken Finger Sidik, Now With DNA Tests

Head of Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) of the National Police Medical and Health Center (Pusdokkes) Kombes Dr Wahyu Hidajati (right)/ANTARA/Willi Irawan

SURABAYA - The identification process for the five bodies of the victims of the collapse of the Al Khoziny Sidoarjo Islamic Boarding School (Ponpes) prayer room collapsed, experiencing difficulties due to fingerprint damage, so the team is now maximizing the identification method through DNA.

"Of the five bodies examined, the average age is 12-15 years. Now, their fingerprints have started to spoil because they have started to rot," said Head of the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) of the National Police Medical and Health Center (Pusdokkes) Kombes Dr Wahyu Hidajati at Bhayangkara Hospital, East Java Police, Surabaya, Friday, October 3.

He explained that the identification method through teeth and clothing also did not give maximum results. Children's teeth growth in the teens is almost the same, while the average santri uniform is white and sarong without special characteristics. With these conditions, the DVI team will maximize DNA as the main method.

However, according to Wahyu, the DNA method takes a minimum of three days and can even take up to two weeks.

"Our last step is of course to take all DNA samples from families and bodies. If DNA is proven to be match, it is undeniable. So we go there while chasing it with time," he said. His party asked the victim's family to be patient during the identification process at the Post Mortem Bhayangkara Hospital Surabaya.

"It's still a process, so for the family, please be patient," he said.

When the identification and reconciliation process is complete, the DVI team ensures that they will notify the victim's family.

"We will contact him, we will convey that from the results of the reconciliation of the examination there is already a bright spot. So what will be the process, how do you want to hand it over, treat the body, wash it, bury it, we convey it to the family," he said.

As of Friday night, there were eight bodies of victims of the collapse of the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School prayer room building that had been taken to Bhayangkara Hospital for further identification.