|
THE
National Police welcomed on Tuesday the offer of the
International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to
assist local authorities in identifying the remains of
the victims of the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars.
“We
welcome the Interpol and its member-countries’ police
services and disaster victim identification [DVI]
experts’ swift offer of assistance and arrival here to
asses our needs,” Director General Avelino Razon Jr.,
National Police chief, said.
Razon
told Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble that the
assistance of foreign experts will hasten the process of
retrieving and identifying the bodies of the victims
from the sunken passenger ship.
“I would
like the Interpol to use state-of-the-art DNA
[deoxyribonucleic acid] analysis so that the families
who are suffering can be reunited with their loved ones
as soon as possible, and so that the identification
process can occur in the most dignified and effective
manner possible,” Razon told Noble upon arrival of the
Interpol delegation at the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport on Monday night.
The
Interpol delegation is composed of forensic examiners
and technical experts on DVI who will assist National
Police and Coast Guard authorities in the retrieval
operations for the bodies of victims.
Police
divers and crime laboratory examiners are involved in
the search- and-recovery operations at the site.
On
Friday diving operations were temporarily suspended by
the National Disaster Coordinating Council after it
learned of the presence of highly toxic chemicals inside
the overturned ship.
On
Monday Razon awarded the Medalya ng Kasanayan (Police
Efficiency Medal) to 18 police divers who were involved
in the search-and-recovery operations.
The
divers who belong to the Maritime Group are presently
confined at the Armed Forces Medical Center for tests of
possible chemical contamination.
While
half of the 49 bodies recovered from MV Princess of the
Stars have already been processed, the National Bureau
of Investigation (NBI) disclosed that only two have been
identified.
The
forensic team, however, said that the bureau will only
release the identified bodies after conducting further
examinations.
The
16-man forensic team—composed of four physicians, four
medical technologists, three photographers, two
chemists, two fingerprint technicians and a dentist—were
sent to Cebu City to help in identifying the victims
efficiently and quickly as possible.
In a
press briefing, NBI officer in charge Pedro Bulaong said
the bodies were bloated and severely discolored owing to
exposure to bunker fuel and the elements.
“The
team is having a hard time identifying the bodies. Even
the fingerprints of some of the victims are blurred and
distorted.”
The
Coast Guard, meanwhile, has asked Malacañang and the
Board of Marine Inquiry 15 days to submit its report on
the MV Princess of the Stars.
President Arroyo, who visited Digos City, Davao del Sur,
on Tuesday to inaugurate the improvement of the
provincial hospital, said the “Coast Guard has asked for
15 days within which to submit its findings.”
She said
that the request of the Coast Guard was made as “we
demanded a full accounting” of the incident. (With TJ
Agcaoili and M. Cayon) |
