the star
Routine procedure: Family members of the crash victims leaving the briefing room at the Marriott Hotel in Putrajaya while waiting to give their DNA samples.
PETALING JAYA: The Dutch Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team has begun screening and tagging the bodies of those killed in the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash together with the Malaysian crime investigation team and the Special Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART).
Health director-general Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the Ministry’s Forensic department head Dr Mohd Shah Mahmood and Dr Ilham Haron (armed forces forensic odontologist) had accompanied the bodies to Amsterdam.
In Putrajaya, the Health Ministry began collecting DNA blood samples and inner cheek swabs of parents, siblings and children of those who died in the tragedy yesterday and the process would be continued today.
Dr Noor Hisham said the samples would be matched with the DNAs of the deceased. Asked if the DNA samples had to be used quickly, he said: “There is no limited time for use as long as the integrity of the post-mortem material is preserved.”
The samples were taken by a group comprising forensic, medical and dental specialists.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations Department (Forensic Databank DNA) deputy director Senior Asst Comm T. Narenasagaran said samples and swabs were taken from family members of 29 passengers on board MH17 in addition to dental records or additional physical information of the victims.
“The information is analysed before it is sent to the investigation team in Amsterdam,” he said, adding that samples of family members of the crew will be taken today.
Dr Noor Hisham said forensic teams would normally identify the bodies by fingerprints and dental analysis but if the bodies had missing limbs, DNA profiles would be used instead.
According to the DVI Guide, primary sources of identification process include finger printing, forensic dental analysis and DNA analysis while secondary sources include medical reports such as previous surgery scars, personal identification such as tattoos, rings and necklaces.
Finger printing would be used only if skin is still intact and printable and these would be checked against passports, documents from the National Registration Department or other databases.
Dr Noor Hisham said the current DNA test method could produce quick results and only required small samples.
The method used was polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, a biochemical technology to amplify a single or few copies of DNA to generate a particular DNA sequence.
“Well-equipped centres should be able to identify bodies using DVI within a few days,” he said.
He said with 282 bodies intact with 87 fragments it meant that most could be identified fast using primary and secondary identification process.
Shared sorrow: Dutch national Franny Holgado, 34, signing the condolence book for MH17 victims at the residence of the Netherlands’ ambassador to Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.
MH17: Dutch embassy opens condolence book
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZciPqe1WyA
Ukrainian rebels have so far honoured two of three conditions
BY ZUHRIN AZAM AHMAD, LOH FOON FONG, SANTHA OORJITHAM, YUEN MEIKENG, AUSTIN CAMOENS, P. ARUNA, NURBAITI HANIM HAMDAN, YU JI, RAHIMY RAHIM, LOSHANA K. SHAGAR, RASHVINJEET SINGH BEDI, CHRISTOPHER TAN, JASTIN AHMAD TARMIZI, TASHNY SUKUMARAN, HEMANANTHANI SIVANANDAM, MICHELLE TAM, AND NADIRAH HANI RODZI
PUTRAJAYA: There were risks involved in pursuing the agreement with Ukraine’s rebel leaders but Malaysia had an obligation to the families of the victims, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
The Prime Minister said the Government was determined to secure the return of the remains and black boxes.
“After meeting the families, I felt that we owed it to them to act. These were extraordinary circumstances which called for extraordinary measures.
“There were risks involved in pursuing this agreement. So far, the agreement has been honoured,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Najib said he was pleased to confirm that the first two of the three conditions agreed with Ukrainian rebel leaders had been met.
The train carrying the bodies recovered from the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 arriving at the Malyshev Tank Plant in the government-held Ukrainian city of Kharkiv from the eastern city of Donetsk. -AFP
The train carrying the victims’ remains had arrived in Kharkiv and the Malaysian team had custody of the black boxes, he said, adding that the boxes appeared to be in good condition.
“They will be held securely in Malaysian custody while the international investigation team is being formalised.
“At that time, we will pass the black boxes to the international investigation team for further analysis,” he said.
The Prime Minister said he was relieved to secure the breakthrough which had allowed things to move forward.
“I would like to thank the Malaysian team on the ground that has worked hard to support this operation.
“Thanks to their efforts, we are closer to finding out what happened to the aircraft and fulfilling our shared responsibility to those who lost their lives,” he said.
At midnight on Monday, Najib announced that he had reached an agreement with Alexander Borodai, who is in command of the region where the ill-fated flight was shot down, to bring an end to the stand-off over the site.
Separatists controlling the crash site also handed over the black boxes of the stricken airliner. -Kamarul Ariffin/The Star
The deal stipulated the return of the passengers’ remains, the handover of the black boxes and full access to the crash site for investigations to begin.
In The Hague, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the first bodies from the MH17 crash would be flown to Eindhoven today.
However, he said their identification could take weeks or months.
“As soon as a victim is identified, first and foremost the family will be informed and no one else,’’ Rutte said, confirming that all the bodies would be brought to the Netherlands and then flown on to their respective countries.
BY ZUHRIN AZAM AHMAD, LOH FOON FONG, SANTHA OORJITHAM, YUEN MEIKENG, AUSTIN CAMOENS, P. ARUNA, NURBAITI HANIM HAMDAN, YU JI, RAHIMY RAHIM, LOSHANA K. SHAGAR, RASHVINJEET SINGH BEDI, CHRISTOPHER TAN, JASTIN AHMAD TARMIZI, TASHNY SUKUMARAN, HEMANANTHANI SIVANANDAM, MICHELLE TAM, AND NADIRAH HANI RODZI
PUTRAJAYA: There were risks involved in pursuing the agreement with Ukraine’s rebel leaders but Malaysia had an obligation to the families of the victims, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
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The Prime Minister said the Government was determined to secure the return of the remains and black boxes.
“After meeting the families, I felt that we owed it to them to act. These were extraordinary circumstances which called for extraordinary measures.
“There were risks involved in pursuing this agreement. So far, the agreement has been honoured,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Najib said he was pleased to confirm that the first two of the three conditions agreed with Ukrainian rebel leaders had been met.
The train carrying the bodies recovered from the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 arriving at the Malyshev Tank Plant in the government-held Ukrainian city of Kharkiv from the eastern city of Donetsk. -AFP
The train carrying the victims’ remains had arrived in Kharkiv and the Malaysian team had custody of the black boxes, he said, adding that the boxes appeared to be in good condition.
“They will be held securely in Malaysian custody while the international investigation team is being formalised.
“At that time, we will pass the black boxes to the international investigation team for further analysis,” he said.
The Prime Minister said he was relieved to secure the breakthrough which had allowed things to move forward.
“I would like to thank the Malaysian team on the ground that has worked hard to support this operation.
“Thanks to their efforts, we are closer to finding out what happened to the aircraft and fulfilling our shared responsibility to those who lost their lives,” he said.
At midnight on Monday, Najib announced that he had reached an agreement with Alexander Borodai, who is in command of the region where the ill-fated flight was shot down, to bring an end to the stand-off over the site.
Separatists controlling the crash site also handed over the black boxes of the stricken airliner. -Kamarul Ariffin/The Star
The deal stipulated the return of the passengers’ remains, the handover of the black boxes and full access to the crash site for investigations to begin.
In The Hague, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the first bodies from the MH17 crash would be flown to Eindhoven today.
However, he said their identification could take weeks or months.
“As soon as a victim is identified, first and foremost the family will be informed and no one else,’’ Rutte said, confirming that all the bodies would be brought to the Netherlands and then flown on to their respective countries.
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