MASS DISASTER

MANAGEMENT
Dr Smitha
Assistant Professor
Department of Forensic Medicine &
Toxicology
 Outline
Definition of mass disaster.
Types.
Objectives of Forensic investigation.
Procedure of examination and
autopsy.
Evidentiary materials to be
preserved.
Importance of team work.
 Definition
WHO has defined it as an occurrence
that causes damage, ecological
disruption, loss of human life, or
deterioration of health and health
services on a scale sufficient to
warrant an extraordinary response
from outside the affected community
or area.

Death of more than 12 victims in a

single event is considered as mass
disaster.
 Types
Natural:

Non-Biological - Earthquake, Cyclone,

Flood, Drought, Heat wave, volcanic
eruption, landslide and tsunami.

Biological - Disease epidemic, mass

poisoning (food /liquor).
Manmade
Accidental : Transportation, building
collapse, mining accidents, dam bursts,
stampede etc.
Industrial - Fires, explosions, leakage
of toxic substances/gases.
Civil disturbances- riots and
demonstrations.
Warfare- conventional( bombardment,
exchange of fire, shelling) and non
conventional ( Nuclear, Biological and
Chemical warfare terrorism).
 Objectives of Forensic Investigation.
To retrieve and reconstruct bodies and
fragmented bodies.

To establish personal identity.

To conduct autopsies on some or all of

those bodies.

To establish the cause of death in some

or all, especially air crew and drivers, and
assist in reconstructing the cause of the
disaster.
To obtain material for toxicological
analysis.

 To seek evidence of the cause of the

mass disaster from autopsy, such as
bomb or detonator fragments that
may be embedded in the bodies.
 Role of Forensic Expert

Identification of the deceased.

Establishment of cause of death.
Establishment of how, where and
when the deceased died.
Assisting police to determine cause
of disaster.
Helping police in retrieving bodies.
 Management of Mass Disaster

Coordination.

Infectious disease risk.

Body recovery.

Storage of dead bodies.

Identification of dead bodies.

Information management.

Long term storage and disposal of

dead bodies.

Communication and the media.

Support to families and relatives.

 Coordination

The local authority- Govt / NGO.

Police.

Emergency services.

The regional health authority.

First responder team : Evaluates the
extent of the problem and initiates
action.

Isolation, Demarcation and protection

of the site.

Visitors not allowed.

 Survivors to be rescued.
Black: For deceased.

Red- Require immediate

life saving measures.

Yellow- Do not require

life saving measures but
require treatment for
the injuries or medical
ailments.

Green- Require
observation and follow
up.
When no further lives can be saved,
measures taken for dead body
recovery and retrieval.

Done as early as possible to prevent

decomposition.

Evidence preservation : contribute to

identification and investigation of the
accident.
 Record statement of victims regarding
cause of disaster and information of kith
and kin.

 Preserving the scene of occurrence.

 Make sketch map and take photographs

relevant to medico-legal work.
1. Body Recovery

2. Label them with a

number
 Remove human remains only after
attaching standardized identification
label.

 Duplicate labels on body parts.

 Labels to be waterproof, legible and

appear clearly on photographs.
Examine surrounding area for
luggage, reservation details, tickets,
displaced teeth, jewellery etc.

Remove surrounding soil in labelled

containers for future examination.
3.Photography
All bodies photographed with labels
and then put in a separate plastic
bags.

Personal belongings if any should not

be separated from the body as they
serve as important clues for
identification.
 4. Recording and segregation
Belongings of one body should not
be mixed with another.

Polythene sheeting can be used for

covering.

Semitransparent covers : Labeling

easily visible.
Procedure of autopsy
Format of Dead body record registrar
Setting up Make Shift Morgues
Flooring should be waterproof and
capable of being hosed down.

Tables for examination can be

wooden trestles, covered with
polythene.

These should be in rows 1 metre apart

with 2 meters between rows.

Refrigeration facility : refrigerated

transport containers, dry ice, ice.
 Identification of the dead
It is compulsory exercise, before final
disposal.

Done by matching the information of

the missing with corresponding
information of the deceased.

In case if body is unidentified

different techniques for establishing
identification are to be used.
The guidelines for identification and its
process:
Primary methods : they are laboratory
based specialized techniques.
Secondary methods:
Visual identification.
Personal description.
Photography.
Medical findings and any other
findings found on the dead body.
 Burnt wallet that
accompanied the body
contained a partially
identifiable visiting
card and a golden ring
on the finger.

Identification of four differently injured victims of the Mangalore air crash

disaster
Deepak Herald D'Souza 1, Vina Ravi Vaswani, Kishor Kumar Badiadka
Like pacemakers, orthopedic prostheses
have serial numbers associated with
barcoded labels that should appear in
medical files, thereby enabling rapid
identification of the implant and patient.
 Primary methods
These method are applied when
secondary methods fail to establish
identification.

Fingerprinting
Forensic odontology
Forensic radiology
Forensic anthropology
DNA Analysis
Finger printing

Reliable indicator, more specific

Comparative data technique for

identification: compared with
antemortem records.
 Forensic odontology
Dental data and morphological traits
can be recorded from the dead and
compared to ante mortem data if
available.

When the body is badly mutilated or

decomposed it serves as a useful data
for identification.
Postmortem Dental Identification
 Forensic Radiology
• X-ray of various bones helps in
knowing the facts regarding age, sex,
old injuries if any.

• It may prove useful in combination

with other techniques.

Forensic Anthropology
• Which deals with assessing sex, age,
stature, ancestry and analyze the
other facts.
 DNA Analysis

DNA technology is capable of solving

many complexities presented by
mass casualty incidents, especially in
case of severe
mutilation/fragmentation.

Teeth and bone : preserved in fragmented

remains.
 Release of the dead
All identified bodies will be handed over
to the relatives/representatives.

A complete record of dead along with

allocated reference number and details
of the relative is maintained.

 Unidentified dead body or body part will

be disposed of by the district authorities
after collecting biological samples for
future identification.
Disaster
Management
Act
Thank You