Victim Identification of KM Virgo Transport 8: 13 Family DNA Samples Under Examination
The Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team of the East Java Police Medical and Health Division (Biddokkes) has taken 13 DNA samples from immediate family members of victims of the sunken vessel KMP Virgo Transport 8 at the Ante Mortem Post at Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya, on Tuesday (15/9).
“We have received 43 ante mortem data records from families and colleagues of the victims, but we have only taken buccal swabs for DNA testing from 13 of them. Samples are not taken from everyone who files a report, only from immediate family members, as comparative data,” said the Head of the DVI Team at Biddokkes East Java Police, Doctor Budi Prasetyo, in Surabaya on Tuesday (15/9).
According to Budi, samples are not taken from all those reporting because DNA is only needed from relatives who have a biological relationship with the victims.
The Surabaya Ante Mortem Post continues to coordinate with the Ante Mortem Post in Banjarmasin. All victim data from East Java, South Kalimantan and other provinces will eventually be integrated into a single database that is updated daily.
“This DVI operation is indeed one integrated unit across police regional commands. The data collected is constantly matched so that it becomes big data that is coordinated every day,” he said.
In the identification process, the DVI team uses two methods: primary and secondary. The primary method includes fingerprint matching, dental records and DNA.
“Fingerprints are traced through our colleagues at Inafis from the Criminal Investigation Department; these can come from the victim’s ID card or diplomas, for example. Then, for the primary method, we also check dental records,” he said.
The secondary method involves gathering data on the victims’ physical characteristics, such as birthmarks, surgical scars, and belongings worn before the incident, including their last clothing, bracelets or watches.
All of the ante mortem data will later be compared with the results of post mortem examinations of the victims’ bodies.
“When a victim is found, we conduct a post mortem examination, then match it with the ante mortem data already collected from the families,” he said.
The evacuation process for the 114 passengers of KM Virgo Transport 8, which sank in the Masalembo waters of the Java Sea on Sunday (13/9), has been completed.
KM Virgo Transport 8, which sank in the Java Sea on Sunday (13/9), had been confirmed seaworthy and to have met required standards.
The Garut Police (Polres Garut) has provided moral support and a commitment to sustained assistance for the families of victims of the KMP Virgo Transport 8 accident, which capsized in the Java Sea.
Families of the victims of the sunken vessel Virgo Transport 8 in the Java Sea continue to arrive at the joint post at Gapura Surya Nusantara (GSN), Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya, East Java.
Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi, together with the Governor of South Kalimantan, Muhidin, monitored the medical treatment process for survivors of the KM Virgo Transport 8 accident.
The search and rescue (SAR) operation for victims of the KM Virgo Transport 8 accident in the Java Sea entered its second day on Monday (14/9).
A total of 23 residents of Panyingkiran Hamlet, Situsaeur Village, Karangpawitan Subdistrict, Garut Regency, were among the victims of the Virgo Transport 8 accident in Javanese waters.