Mass disaster Victim Identification
Disaster Victim Identification (DVI)
• Disaster is an unexpected event causing the death of many people.
• Many different kinds of events can lead to disasters which may require the use of the DVI
process. It can be natural catastrophes or man-made disasters
• For example, DVI processes may be required following traffic accidents, natural
disasters, technical accidents (fires, explosions), terrorist attacks or events occurring
within the context of wars.
• DVI refers to a respectful, systematic and orderly process undertaken in response to
a multiple fatality incident with the aim of scientifically identifying the deceased
causalities of the incident so that they can be returned to their relatives.
• The first INTERPOL Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Guide was published in
1984 and subsequently revised regularly.
• It is rarely possible to identify a victim of a major disaster by visual recognition
• Fingerprints, dental records or DNA samples are often required for a conclusive
identification.
Classification of disasters
Open disasters:
• An open disaster is a major catastrophic event resulting in the death of a number of
unknown individuals for whom no prior records or descriptive data are available.
• It is difficult to obtain information about the actual number of victims following such
events, as there is usually no early reference point to commence a missing persons list.
• Therefore thorough investigation is required to obtain an accurate potential victim list in
order to commence DVI procedures.
• A practical example of an open disaster is found in public gatherings where there is no
formal list available that would highlight potential victims.
Closed disasters:
• A closed disaster is a major catastrophic event resulting in the death of a number of
individuals belonging to a fixed, identifiable group (e.g. aircraft crash with passenger list).
• As a rule, comparative ante-mortem data can be obtained more quickly in the case of
closed disasters because there is a reference point such as a passenger manifest or a log
of attendees at an event.
• Combinations of closed and open disasters are also conceivable (e.g. aircraft crash in a
public area).
The Process of DVI
• The DVI process is an internationally recognised sequence of activities that has been
developed over several years.
• It has been tested in large scale disasters in many regions across the world and has
proven to be a reliable method by which victim data in the form of post-mortem material
can be matched against missing person data.
• The aim of this matching process is to positively identify human remains
The Process of DVI
• Phase 1: Scene (processing human remains and property at the disaster site).
• Phase 2: Post-mortem (detailed examination of human remains in mortuary).
• Phase 3: Ante-mortem (collection of missing person data from various sources).
• Phase 4: Reconciliation (matching post-mortem and ante-mortem data).
Specialists required for DVI
Critical to the DVI process is the engagement of trained and experienced specialists.
The following are recognised as the main disciplines engaged in the technical aspects of
the DVI process:
• Forensic Pathologists.
• Forensic Odontologists.
• Fingerprint Experts (Friction Ridge Experts).
• Forensic Biologists / Geneticists.
• Forensic Anthropologists.
• The function of the Reconciliation Centre is to match post mortem data with
ante-mortem data with the view to identifying the deceased.
• Visual identification can be very unreliable and should not be considered alone.
• Confirm the identity to the satisfaction of identification board.
Methods of Identification
• The primary and most reliable means of identification are fingerprint analysis,
comparative dental analysis and DNA analysis.
• Unique serial numbers from medical implants may also be reliable identifiers in
terms of proving identity.
• Secondary means of identification include personal description, medical findings,
tattoos, as well as property and clothing found on the body.
• These means of identification serve to support identification by other means and are
ordinarily not sufficient as a sole means of identification (although depending on the
circumstances, there may be some exceptions).
Methods of Identification
• Identification based on photographs can be notoriously unreliable and should
be avoided as the sole means of identification.
• Visual identification by a witness may provide an indication of identity but is not
sufficient for positive identification of victims of a large-scale disaster, as
victims can be disfigured, resulting in the visual comparison being unreliable
• The psychological stress frequently involved in confrontation with the
deceased, by relatives, also makes this form of identification unreliable
Balasore, Orissa train tragedy 2nd June 2023
