Durian. Indonesia’s disaster victim identification (DVI) team will start identification process for seven body bags contain of body parts from possible victims of missing aircraft SJ-18, operated by Sriwijaya Air on Jan.11, a National Police spokesperson said on Jan.10 in Jakarta.
There are 306 people in the team, coming from various institutions such as from the National Police (Polri), the Military (TNI), the Health Ministry and Indonesia’s Forensic Doctors Association, Brig. Gen. Rusdi Hartono, a spokesperson of Polri said.
‘’Up to now, this team has received 21 DNA samples, seven body bags. Starting from tomorrow [Jan.11], the team will start identifying the body bags [parts],’’ Hartono explained in a press conference at a police hospital in East Jakarta.
Hartono called victims’ families to provide information as much as possible about their love ones to assist the DVI team to conduct identification process.
There were 62 people on board SJ-182 when the flight lost contact with the air traffic control at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten on Jan.9, only four minutes after taking off for Pontianak, West Kalimantan.
Rescuers have found body parts along with debris of the aircraft after spotting its location which about 23 meters below sea surface on Jan.10, near Lancang and Laki Islands.
Search and rescue operation is ongoing though divers should stop their activities in the night, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said.
At least 38 ships from various institutions are deploying in the search and rescue operation.
Sriwjaya Air as the operator of the missing aircraft, type Boeing 737-500, in its official statement on Jan.10 said it will support and assist victims’ families fully during the search and rescue operation and identification process.
