Salvage work at SAO site speeds up

Police say 33 bodies identified from ruins, writes Wassayos Ngamkham

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The Royal Thai Police’s Disaster Victim Identification Centre says 33 individuals have been identified following the collapse of the State Audit Office (SAO) building in the recent earthquake.

Pol Maj Gen Wanthanee Asawattanakul, the Office of Police Forensic Science spokesman, said the aim is to confirm the identities of bodies found in the ruins and return their remains to families for religious rites.

The centre has collected data on missing persons and DNA samples from 97 relatives, to match against the remains delivered to the Office of Police Forensic Science. They verify such process using fingerprinting analysis, dental records, DNA, and physical characteristics, he said.

Between March 29 and Thursday, 41 bodies and 56 body parts were submitted for forensic processing.

So far, 42 cases have entered the identification system, resulting in 33 confirmed identifications -- 22 Thai nationals, 10 Myanmar nationals, and one Cambodian national have been verified, and arrangements for the release of the remains are underway.

The forensic process includes matching fingerprints and reassembling body parts using DNA. Bone samples are being used in DNA extraction, which may require an additional 1-2 days for analysis and comparison with family records, he said. “During the early days, fingerprint verification allowed the same-day release of bodies. However, due to decomposition and the increasing number of fragmented remains, all parts must now be reconstructed before release,” he said.

For some undocumented migrant workers, authorities are coordinating with the Myanmar Embassy to collect DNA samples in Myanmar for further testing.

In some cases, families are waiting to collect their loved ones together with others still trapped in the rubble.