REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Jakarta Metro Jaya Police Officers have taken DNA samples of the families of the crash victims of Malaysian Airlines MH-17.
"We have collected DNA samples that will be sent to Ukraine on Friday evening for identification in the crash site," said Metro Jaya Police Department's Head of Medicine and Health Affairs Senior Commissioner Musyafak here on Friday.
The police had visited the victims' families in Tangerang, Banten Province, and South Jakarta.
Musyarak said the DNA samples were crucial in ensuring the Indonesian victims' identities so as not to be confused with others.
In addition to DNA, Musyarak said the police also have gathered ante-mortem data, such as dental records, medical records, fingerprints, and marks on the victim's body, such as piercings, tattoos, or moles.
The police had also questioned the families about recognized objects belonging to the victims, such as watches, jewelries, and clothes.
The data were taken based on the standards of Interpol Disaster Victim Identification (DVI).
"All gathered data will be sent to Ukraine this evening (Friday, July 18)," said Musyarak.
Previously, Indonesian Transportation Ministry's spokesperson J.A. Barata had confirmed that 12 Indonesians, including an infant, were on board the ill-fated plane, which was shot down over Ukraine.
On Thursday (July 17), Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17, which was on a scheduled flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down in eastern Ukraine.
The flight was carrying a total of 298 people, comprising 283 passengers, including three infants of varied nationalities, and 15 crew members of Malaysian nationality. Some of the passengers' nationalities are yet to be determined.
Malaysian Prime Minister Nadjib Razak had remarked that no distress call was received before the plane went down and that the flight route had been declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
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