VICTIM DISASTER

IDENTIFICATION(VDI)
By: Hamzat Mubarak Moronkeji

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What is Disaster ?

Disaster is defined as an unexpected event resulting in loss of lives

and property. They can be of different forms such as traffic
accidents, natural disasters, technical accidents (fires and
explosions), mass deaths resulting from war and terrorist attacks.
There are two types of disasters as contained in the INTERPOL
guide for disaster victim identification(DVI)(2018)

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 Types of Disasters
Open Disasters
Open disasters are disasters that
occur in a place or situation where
victims have no prior records or
descriptive data which makes
identification difficult therefore
thorough and meticulous investigation
must be carried out in order to
commence DVI activities. A good
example is a bomb blast in a market
place
Closed Disasters
Closed disasters are disasters that occur in
a place where there is a fixed identifiable
group. Ante Mortem data can be obtained
more quickly because there is a reference
point to commence identification such as
a log of attendees at an event. An example
is a plane crash with a Passenger list.
It is also
possible to have a combination of both
such as when a plane crashes into a public
place like a market
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PHASES OF DISASTER VICTIM IDENTIFICATION

Scene examination
Post Mortem Phase
Ante Mortem Phase
Reconciliation
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Scene Examination

 This involves the processing human remains

at the scene. Apart from human remains,
personal property at the scene should also be
collected and processed as this will aid in
identification. The scene examination may
take long time depending on the gravity of
the disaster. Before VDI experts move to the
scene, safety risk assessment should be
conducted and experts should wear
appropriate personal protective equipment
(PPE) such as oral masks, overalls, gloves etc.
 In the case of a bomb blast, care should be
observed because there might be a second or
even third blast

Scene Examination. From dnaproject.co.za

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Post Mortem

The following Information are Collected:

 Dental records- this is important because teeth are

very durable and can withstand destruction
 DNA profiling. DNA samples are collected from the
deceased for comparison with samples from family
members
 Physical features such as tattoos, scars and medical
implants are examined
 Fingerprints from the deceased can be collected and
compared with records if available
 Visual recognition is not recognized by the
INTERRPOL DVI protocol as sufficient for
identification From ucp.ac.uk

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Ante Mortem Phase

 Personal description about the deceased is obtained from family members

 Description of jewelry, clothing and other personal effects are obtained
from family members
 The INTERPOL uses a form known as the ‘YELLOW’ form to collect ante
mortem information

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 Reconciliation phase

 A group of experts meet to match post mortem data with ante mortem data
 Once reconciliation is completed, an Identification board is convened headed
by a Coroner
 The Coroner has the overall responsibility for the identification of the deceased
 On the authority of the Coroner, identified bodies are released to respective
families

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Role of INTERPOL in DVI Operations

 DVI operations are usually cumbersome and requires international co-

operation as a single country might not have adequate resources
 INTERPOL officially known as the International criminal Police
Organization(ICPO) was founded in 1923 by Johannes Schober and has 194
member countries
 With headquarters in Lyon France, the INTERPOL seeks to foster
international cooperation between Police forces worldwide.
 INTERPOL published its first guide on DVI operations which is revised every
five years
 INTERPOL has coordinated notable DVI operations such as the 2004
Tsunami, Lion air plane crash(2018) and the recent Ethiopia air Crash 9
2004 TSUNAMI

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Thank You

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