By Agency Reporter
Sixty-two out of the 84 South Africans who died as victims of a building collapse at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) have been identified by forensic experts.
Alongside Nigerian pathologists, the 62 persons were identified with the help of a South African specialist forensic team led by Brigadier Leonie Ras, who doubles as the police victims’ identification centre and Chairman of Interpol’s disaster victim identification steering committee.
In an interview with South African Times magazine, one of the country’s ministers, Jeff Radebe, said 62 of the dead had been identified with certainty, although he added that it is a time-consuming process that cannot be rushed. [eap_ad_1] He said: “We must ensure with absolute certainty that the bodies of the deceased are correctly matched to their families.
“The most reliable ways are fingerprints using the Home Affairs database, and DNA. Everything is being done to complete the identification process as swiftly as possible.
“As soon as the identification is complete, a military health team will travel to Lagos with the necessary equipment to repatriate the bodies.”
Radebe, who said the identification process was on-going with assistance from pathologist Gert Saayman, added that in cases where the extent of wounds are worse, photo identification, fingerprinting, dental records and DNA were being used.
On the demands to bar Synagogue leader, TB Joshua, from travelling to South Africa, Radebe said the government’s priority was the repatriation of the bodies, adding that the issue of a visa would be entertained at a later stage.
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