Latest news with #DisasterVictimIdentification
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
What's in a tooth!
Of the 260 victims of the devastating Ahmedabad aviation tragedy that shook the nation on June 12, 253 were identified through DNA matching. While DNA profiling and matching is rightfully regarded as the gold standard in victim identification, forensic dentistry serves as valuable supplementary identification tool especially in circumstances where DNA samples are extremely compromised — in identifying cases of mutilated, decomposed and burnt bodies where extraction of DNA from most of the body parts becomes impossible. (Interpol's DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) guide identifies dental comparison as one of three primary methods of identification (alongside fingerprints and DNA) and affirms that a positive dental match may suffice as a standalone identifier under proper conditions.) You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru While India is prone to disasters and uses forensic odontology in identification, there is no unified national policy mandating systematic dental record keeping or a centralised dental database. 'It's time we built one,' says Dr Deepak V, programme coordinator, department of forensic dentistry, College of Dental Sciences, Davangere. Two ways a tooth helps DNA extraction DNA can be extracted from teeth using highly specialised forensic procedures. Teeth are particularly valuable in forensic identification because they're the hardest tissue in the body and can often protect DNA for years—even decades—especially in fire, trauma, or decomposition scenarios. Tracing dental records If a forensic dentist finds a root canal treated upper right first molar with a metal crown and a porcelain crown on lower left first molar, and a missing lower left canine tooth during postmortem dental charting, just imagine, the probability of having this same combination of findings among the victims of a closed disaster scenario. These metal restoration can withstand much higher temperatures, says Dr Jayasankar Pillai, forensic odontologist and secretary of Indian Association of Forensic Odontology. 'This is where dental records are useful, provided the antemortem dental records are provided by the family members or the dentists of the deceased person. This can narrow down the identification process and thus can be confirmed by DNA,' he adds. "Teeth are incredibly durable and often survive trauma, decomposition and fire. Interpol lists dental records among the three primary identifiers—alongside fingerprints and DNA Dr Deepak V, programme coordinator, department of forensic dentistry, College of Dental Sciences, Davangere How forensic dentists work Forensic dentists find the missing links that could lead to the missing person. They help in segregation of the charred bodies based on age category, by assessing the age of the charred victim by observing the eruption and mineralisation status of the teeth. Based on the colour changes in the teeth on fire, the forensic dentists can even help the fire investigators to elucidate the temperature at which the body was burning. A widely accepted tool Dental identification is used extensively not only in the West, but also in Asian countries like Malaysia, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia, notes Dr Ashith B Acharya, professor and head of forensic odontology at SDM College of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Dharwad. Dental records are particularly useful for identifying twins who are likely to have the same DNA. How it helped in the past 9/11 (World Trade Center, 2001) Hundreds of victims were successfully identified via dental records Asian Tsunami (2004) 46 % of victims were identified primarily using dental comparisons. Thai nationals had low usable dental-record availability, slowing identification for local victims Other large disasters such as the Scandinavian Star ferry fire of 1990 and various airline crashes have relied heavily on forensic odontology for identification Two Ways A Tooth Helps DNA Extraction DNA can be extracted from teeth using highly specialised forensic procedures. Teeth are particularly valuable in forensic identification because they are the hardest tissue in the body and can often protect DNA for years-even decades- especially in scenarios like fire, trauma or decomposition Tracing dental records If a forensic dentist finds a root canal treated upper right first molar with a metal crown and a porcelain crown on lower left first molar, and a missing lower left canine tooth during postmortem dental charting, just imagine, the probability of having this same combination of findings among the victims of a closed disaster scenario. These metal restorations can withdstand much higher temperatures, says Dr Jayasankar Pillai, forensic odontologist and secretary of India Association of Forensic Odontology. "This is where dental records are useful, provided teh antemortem dental records are provided by the family members or the dentists of the deceased person. This can narrow down the identification proess and can further be confirmed by DNA," he adds
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
I spent weeks identifying 7/7 victims – the atrocity still haunts me 20 years on
HERO Scots cops who identified victims of the London 7/7 terror attacks last night revealed they are still haunted by the atrocity 20 years on. Paul Clements, 67, recalled his 'traumatic' five-week deployment in a mortuary holding commuters killed when terrorists detonated suicide bombs on three trains and a bus. 4 4 4 The retired Met Police officer revealed he still struggles to board the Underground due to painful memories of the rush-hour tragedy — when 52 people lost their lives and 784 others were wounded. He had grown used to dealing with the 'ugly side' of life in the force but nothing prepared him for his work helming a team of Disaster Victim Identification officers. Days from the 20th anniversary of the attack on July 7, 2005, dad-of-one Paul, from Stranraer, said: 'I spent five weeks in a mortuary with a team trying to identify victims. 'It was traumatic, of course it was. Each body part or each person is also a crime scene. 'Obviously we had to recover any forensic evidence. We had to look for SIM cards, or bits of circuit board, for evidential purposes, because we were trying to find out what type of detonators were used. 'You're dealing with an ugly side of life — and as a police officer you do deal with the ugly side of life — but this was on a fairly massive scale. 'It took most people by surprise. You do have to be professional.' Three bombs were detonated on board Underground trains within 50 seconds of each other as Londoners headed to work. An hour later a fourth explosive ripped through the top of a No30 double-decker bus. Recalling his struggles later to catch the tube, with the memory of the attacks fresh, Paul said: 'I remember later walking to the tube station. 7/7 survivor Dan Biddle and his rescuer Adrian interview 'I got to the entrance and I just couldn't walk in it. I got a mental flashback of everything I'd just dealt with. 'I thought, no, I cannot go on the tube. And strangely enough, I got a bus, and the bus took me probably three or four times the length of time. 'Although obviously a bus was bombed as well, it didn't have the same mental impact as the tube did. 'For about a year I just refused to go on the tube. Needs must and eventually I faced up to it and jumped on the tube. But even now it just brings back all those memories. 'I'll do it, but I never feel comfortable going on the tube — and that's 20 years later.' Three suicide bombers launched the deadliest terror atrocity on British soil — setting off from Leeds around 4am in a hired Nissan Micra then driving to Luton to meet their fourth accomplice. Scots Victim Tragedy ACCOUNTANT Helen Jones was the only Scot to die in the terror attack. Helen, 28, was killed in the Piccadilly line bombing just weeks after moving into a North London flat with her boyfriend. She grew up in Templand, near Lockerbie, Dumfries-shire, and went to Aberdeen University aged just 16. After leaving school, she also spent time working with prostitutes and drug addicts at Glasgow's city mission and volunteered at homeless hostels. She'd texted her partner just before the bomb was detonated. Three of the men, Mohammad Sidique Khan, 30, Shehzad Tanweer, 22, and Germaine Lindsay, 19, entered the Underground and boarded separate trains. Ringleader Khan got into the second carriage of a westbound Circle line train heading to Paddington and detonated his device near double doors at Edgware Road station. Tanweer boarded an eastbound Circle line train and set off his device at the rear of the second carriage between Liverpool Street and Aldgate at the same time. Meanwhile, Lindsay caused the most devastation when he exploded his bomb on a southbound Piccadilly Line service between King's Cross and Russell Square. An hour later Hasib Hussain, 18, launched a fourth attack on boarding a bus at Tavistock Square. Retired Detective Sergeant Callum Sutherland, 67, from Greenock, led units working with pathologists to identify the deceased in a makeshift mortuary. The crime scene manager and his officers had to search for bits of explosive devices — a job so grim that many opted to stay in a hotel for five weeks rather than return to their families and discuss the devastating details. Callum endured harrowing shifts with fellow officers within the temporary morgue in the gardens of the Honourable Artillery Company. Netflix Doc Details Horror Attack A NEW Netflix documentary will offer inside accounts of the horrific day. Attack on London: Hunting The 7/7 Bombers features exclusive interviews with witnesses, including survivors and police. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, 72, also contributed to the programme. And relatives of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, pictured, who was shot dead after being wrongly suspected of being a terrorist, also have their say. The documentary will launch on the streaming service on Tuesday. He admitted: 'A girl was meant to be getting married there over the weekend. The police or the government paid for her wedding to be somewhere else so they could use this as a temporary mortuary. 'It's later it affects you. You'll hear police officers say, it doesn't bother me, it's just a job. 'Well, rubbish. It does. Not necessarily at the time, or the next day, or a few days later, but at some point it will.' Family man Callum has also worked with crime author and scriptwriter Lynda La Plante on TV shows Prime Suspect and Trial & Retribution. He added: 'You have the occasional nightmare. I've always felt if it doesn't bother you, then you're not the right person for the job. 'One of the things that was different as well is, generally, in a murder, you don't know who did it, or you don't know the exact cause of death until you have a post-mortem. But with the bombings, you knew how those people had died from the word go. 'It's tiring because you were doing 12-plus hour days, day in, day out, but we had an important job to do.' He and colleague Paul remain proud of how they handled the toughest days of their careers. Paul said: 'It doesn't feel like 20 years. It seems in some instances almost like a couple of years ago. We all felt very proud. I think we're all professional, and it was a multi-team sort of effort because it wasn't just Met officers and we worked exceptionally well.' Callum added: 'You should be thinking about people who've lost their loved ones, giving family comfort and finding out who did it.'
Indian Express
21-06-2025
- Indian Express
Interpol guidelines to DNA matching: The painstaking work to find Ahmedabad plane crash victims' families some closure
A crowd near the entrance of the 1,200-bed Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on June 15 piqued Rohit Patel's curiosity. Moments later, Rohit, a grizzled man in a cerulean shirt who had been perched outside the mortuary complex since June 12, followed the crowd, squeezing into a gap behind a table. At this table, three Gujarat officials were giving updates on the identification status of the June 12 air crash victims. Minutes after take-off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport, a London-bound Air India flight with 242 people went down, its tail striking the first-floor mess at B J Medical College and Hospital, located a kilometre away, killing 241 onboard and at least 19 people on the ground. Interrupting the officials, Rohit, who had travelled to Ahmedabad from Kheda district, around 50 km away, said, 'My nephew and his wife were on the plane. I have been at the hospital since the crash. We submitted a DNA sample on June 12. We were told their bodies would be given to us today (June 15) but now officials are saying they need more time to identify the remains.' Turning around, Dr Rajnish Patel, Additional Medical Superintendent, Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, replied, 'We (doctors and the Forensic Science Laboratory) are working as fast as possible but checking each sample carefully takes three-four days. Please come here only after you get a call from us. We will handhold you through the entire process.' With most victims charred beyond recognition, including 12 people at the crash site, confirming their identities correctly has been a formidable task. As of 11.50 am on June 20, 223 victims had been identified and 204 remains handed over to families. Officials say the final toll will be declared after the DNA profiling of all victims is complete. Even as families described the wait for the bodies as 'painful', an official at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital says, 'We are following the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) guidelines prescribed by Interpol (largest international police organisation with 196 member nations). Bodies are also being embalmed and put in sealed coffins before being handed over to kin.' The three primary identifiers, according to the 2023 DVI guidelines, are 'fingerprints, odontology (dental examination) and DNA profiling'. Secondary identifiers include 'tattoos, scars and ornaments', but are considered 'inaccurate'. Dr Jayasankar P Pillai, a forensic odontologist at Ahmedabad's Government Dental College, stepped in to help extract dental DNA and compile a dental charting of the victims. A different team profiled DNA samples later. Given the magnitude of the tragedy, Dr Pillai says he knew he needed help with the work. 'I sent a message seeking help from my current and former students. Fifty of them turned up at the hospital within hours. We began autopsies, dental examinations and DNA sample collections around 6 pm on June 12. By 4.30 am on June 13, the process was completed for most victims.' The autopsy required doctors from the Departments of Forensic Odontology and Forensic Medicine to collect samples of each victim's teeth and bones, which were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). At FSL, these samples were matched against those obtained from their relatives — the second step of identity confirmation and the gold standard. The third step — fingerprint analysis — could not be conducted since most bodies were charred in the fire that broke out after the crash. Explaining why molars were 'the best bet' to find a DNA sample in this case, Dr Pillai says, 'Teeth can usually withstand higher temperatures than our bodies. The rotation and gaps between teeth are unique to each person, like fingerprints. The melting point of a metal or ceramic crown (from a root canal treatment) is higher. Even if a tooth is destroyed, it is unlikely that the crown would be destroyed too.' In case his team found a dental crown, he says they asked the kin for the victim's dental records. 'This ante- and post-mortem comparison of dental characteristics, coupled with DNA profiling, leaves nothing to chance.' Dr Tamanna Parmar, a periodontologist, was at her clinic, nearly 15 km from the Civil Hospital, when she heard about the crash. Having completed her post-graduation from the Government Dental College in 2024, she called up her juniors in college immediately. 'They told me they had left the mess just 15 minutes before the crash.' Then, she says, she received Dr Pillai's message seeking help. Two hours later, she and two of her batch-mates were at the hospital. 'Due to barricading near the hospital, we had to park our vehicles 1 km away and walk,' she says. The mortuary complex, she says, is a sight that she will 'never forget' — the fire and rigor mortis (stiffening of the body after death) had caused many bodies to twist badly. 'It took two people to just straighten them before we could start the dental exam. I looked for dental characteristics specific to victims and made observations on dental treatments or prosthetics in their mouths,' Dr Parmar says. The DNA samples — teeth and bones — were put inside labelled containers and transferred to the FSL. DNA profiling and matching took place at two laboratories — the Directorate of Forensic Science (DFS) and the Centre of Excellence in DNA Analysis at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) — both located on the same road in Gandhinagar, around 20 km from the Civil Hospital. At NFSU, the opening of all samples was videographed for evidence, Professor (Dr) S O Junare, director, Gujarat campus, NFSU, tells The Indian Express. 'The samples were cleaned thoroughly with distilled water and chemicals to remove all traces of someone else's DNA,' he says, adding that this step was necessary because multiple persons had come in contact with the bodies — from rescue to medical personnel. Stating that extracting DNA from blood is easier, an NFSU forensic expert says, 'We powder the teeth or bones and then use the magnetic bead-based extraction method to get the DNA. This can take nearly 10 hours. To check if that sample is viable, it is run through another test (q-PCR) before profiling starts.' At this point, Dr Junare says, the team is able to ascertain the victim's gender. Diluted and using a 24-marker kit (24 genetic markers), the DNA is run through a genetic analyser to create a genetic profile. 'The entire process takes 72-96 hours,' a scientist says. Reference blood samples from living relatives — collected at B J Medical College's Kasauti Bhavan at the time of autopsies — went through the same process before the comparative analysis. 'Reference samples are matched against all deceased samples till we get a hit,' says Dr Junare. A major challenge in such tragedies, he says, is the death of an entire family. 'In these cases, we take reference blood samples from grandparents or uncles or nieces,' he says. Since DNA is measured in centimorgans (cM) to determine the closeness of the relation, the higher the cM value, the closer the degree of relation. For instance, we share around 25% of our DNA with each grandparent, say experts. In these cases, the Y chromosome short tandem repeat (Y-STR) markers and X-STR markers are used to determine paternal and maternal lineage respectively, he says. Another obstacle is determining the correct identity of siblings or identical twins belonging to the same gender. While siblings share almost 50% of their DNA, most identical twins have almost completely identical DNA. While their DNA profiling was on, the bodies of most victims were embalmed. Dr Dharmesh Patel, Head, Department of Forensic Medicine, Civil Hospital, said in a statement, 'The bodies were embalmed so that they could sustain long-distance travel.' Though most final rites took place across Gujarat, in some cases, the bodies were sent to Nagaland and even the United Kingdom. Explaining the process, Dr Patel says, 'A chemical solution (like formaldehyde) is introduced into the body to preserve it. As per legal requirements, embalming and coffin sealing certificates were issued. Each victim's belongings were also duly certified.' Dr Rakesh Joshi, Medical Superintendent, Civil Hospital, says the handing over of bodies to the families was the 'most critical part' of this process. 'Unfortunately, the body identification process is painstakingly slow, not only due to the implications it has for the family, but also the law.' Gujarat Relief Commissioner Alok Pandey had recently said that the Treasury Department was working on getting inquest reports and insurance claims ready for families 'as soon as possible'. A 24/7 help desk has also been set up by the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority (GSLSA) to help families. The most difficult identification so far has been that of minors. As per the airline manifest, 13 children aged 12 years and below were on the plane. While three had not yet turned 2 years old, the others were mostly aged between 11 and 18 years. Officials say they were able to obtain just 'partial' DNA profiles for some 'whom we suspect are minors', making an 'accurate' match difficult. Though DNA can be taken from any tooth in the case of children, accidents involving a fire complicate matters, says Dr Pillai. He explains, 'Heat degrades their front teeth. Also, children aged six years and below only have milk teeth. In such cases, we try to extract the permanent molars developing inside their jaws.' The age of minors on the manifest also helped. 'Some of these minors had developed their second molars. So we knew they were between three to six years old. That helped narrow down their identification,' he adds. (With inputs from Aditi Raja)
