Embassies to help ID victims<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government has been working closely with the
\nembassies of foreign countries whose citizens fell victim to last
\nweek's blast as it has become clear that the Bali provincial
\nadministration is overwhelmed by the grim task of identifying the
\nremains of the victims.<\/p>\n
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Marty Natalegawa said
\nhere on Friday that the countries whose citizens were killed in
\nthe blast had yet to reach an agreement on how to deal with the
\nremaining bodies.<\/p>\n
\"We are therefore continuing to consult with the ambassadors
\nof the foreign countries to coordinate efforts to deal with the
\nbodies,\" Marty was quoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
The foreign embassies had not yet decided whether to bury the
\nbodies in Indonesia or send them home, Marty said, adding that
\nthe uncertainty regarding the bodies was related to several
\nfactors, including the identification process and the
\ninvestigation into the blast itself.<\/p>\n
\"We are hoping to find the right solution considering that the
\nbodies cannot be kept for too long,\" said Marty.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Bali provincial administration spokesman I Gde
\nNurjaya said his administration had been overwhelmed by the task
\nof identifying the remains of the victims of last Saturday's
\nblast.<\/p>\n
Nurjaya said the administration could not just bury the
\nremains without the consent of the victims' families or their
\ngovernments.<\/p>\n
As of Friday, the official number of victims from the blast
\nstood at 507. Of this number, 186 were confirmed dead with 42
\nhaving been identified. The dead hailed from Britain (9),
\nIndonesia (10), Australia (12), Singapore (3), New Zealand (2),
\nUSA (2), France (1), Germany (1), Equador (1) and South Korea
\n(1).<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, officials said the number of people killed in the
\nBali terrorist bomb attack far exceeded the official death toll
\nof 186.<\/p>\n
Many of the bodies recovered from the blast and the ensuing
\ninferno that completely destroyed the Sari Club and Paddy's bar
\nin Kuta were charred beyond recognition or blown to pieces.<\/p>\n
Forensic experts believe the bodies of some of the people in
\nthe bars could have been totally immolated by the intense heat of
\nthe flames and the identification process could take months.<\/p>\n
\"The death toll is sure to be higher but it is so difficult to
\nestablish a precise figure,\" an official from the Sanglah General
\nHospital in Denpasar said as quoted by AFP.<\/p>\n
The hospital's morgue is full of charred bodies and body
\nparts.<\/p>\n
A local woman died of burns late on Wednesday, bringing the
\nknown death toll to 186 -- 183 of whom died in Indonesia and
\nthree after being transferred to Australia.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the first body of an Australian killed in the
\nbombing has been positively identified and will be flown home to
\nthe southern city of Adelaide this weekend, a report said Friday.<\/p>\n
The remains of Angela Golotta were positively identified by
\nAustralian forensic specialists working with the bodies of
\napproximately 180 bombing victims, many charred or mangled beyond
\nrecognition after the blast last Saturday, AFP said, quoting a
\nreport from ABC radio.<\/p>\n
ABC said the body of Golotta, who would have turned 20 on
\nThursday, would be flown to Adelaide on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Golotta's two uncles have been increasingly outspoken in their
\nfrustration over the lack of progress in identifying the bodies,
\nabout 114 of whom are believed to be Australians.<\/p>\n
On Friday, they appealed directly to Prime Minister John
\nHoward, visiting the scene of the blast, to speed up the process,
\nalthough police experts said it would take several weeks to
\nidentify the victims using DNA testing and other scientific
\nmeans.<\/p>\n
Bali is also treating the remaining 32 out of the total 323
\npeople wounded in the blast. Twenty-nine of the patients are
\nIndonesians, according to data released by the crisis center.
\nThey are being treated in the Sanglah General Hospital (25), Budi
\nRaharja Hospital (1), Kasih Ibu Hospital (1), Darma Husada
\nHospital (1), Prima Medika Hospital (2) and Graha Asih Hospital
\n(1).<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/embassies-to-help-id-victims-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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