Disaster victim identification: A guide
STAGES OF NZ VOLCANO DISASTER VICTIM IDENTIFICATION
The six bodies recovered and airlifted off White Island are now in Auckland in the care of the coroner.
The lengthy and challenging disaster victim identification (DVI) process has been outlined by New Zealand police.
* PHASE ONE: SCENE
The victim's body is examined and documented in situ, then taken to the mortuary.
* PHASE TWO: MORTUARY
The body is examined in detail by a pathologist, forensic dentist, fingerprint officer and Police DVI team.
Personal effects (such as jewellery, clothing) are photographed, then collected, examined, cleaned, re-photographed and secured.
PHASE THREE: ANTE-MORTEM INFORMATION RETRIEVAL
Police gather information about possible victims, such as descriptions of appearance, clothing, jewellery, photographs; medical and dental records, X-rays; fingerprints, from objects or official records (commonly collected by some overseas agencies); and DNA samples, such as from a hairbrush, toothbrush or blood sample.
PHASE FOUR: RECONCILIATION
Information from post-mortem and ante-mortem phases are brought together to find a match.
At an identification hearing, the coroner is presented evidence of the match by fingerprint, dentistry, DNA and police DVI experts and decides if identification has been established.
Family and/or foreign authorities are advised, then media.
PHASE FIVE: DEBRIEF
People involved in the DVI process keep each other updated throughout all stages.
Support and welfare is made available to staff including stress and grief counsellors, chaplains, Victim Support and police welfare officers.
