Tsunami team help identify London bomb victims

The police team working on identifying victims of the Asian tsunami have switched their attention to the men and women who were killed in the London bombing.

As the first victim of the terrorist attack was named yesterday the police indicated that many more people are expected to be formally identified in the coming days.

The apparent delay in the identification process has been due partly to the terrible effects of the bombs, which has blew some people apart, and partly to the strict rules surrounding identification.

Four forensic mortuaries and a family centre have been erected at the Honourable Artillery Company in the City of London. The site, which is under huge white tents covering some 45,000 square feet, is the focus of the meticulous process of identification the victims.

A second investigation centre has been set up in the police college in Hendon, north London, in the offices where the police had been carrying out the identification of British tsunami victims.

The skills used by the officers and staff to help identify victims of the natural disaster are being used for the terror attack.

At the mortuary in City Road any personal items will be retrieved from the dead. X-rays are also taken of the bodies, which are being examined by a pathologist and orthodontist to identify dental work.

Significant marks and scars are recorded and fingerprints and DNA samples taken. The dental charts of suspected victims are compared to the teeth of the deceased, this is the quickest method of identification.

Fingerprints are also a quick way of getting a match - the police visit the suspected victim's home and take fingerprints from hard surfaces such as keyboards or glasses.

Two experts are used to confirm a fingerprint match to ensure no mistakes are made. DNA can be used - samples are taken from hair recovered from the suspected victim's brushes and combs, or toothbrushes - but these take longer to process.

Once all the information is gathered, it is presented to the Identification Commission, chaired by Dr Paul Knapman, the coroner who is in charge of identification process, a pathologist, an orthodontist, and a senior police officer.

The Commission goes through four stages, firstly people who are believed to be missing, these include cases where an identification such as a driving licence has been found on the body.

The second stage is people likely to be dead. These are people who have distinctive clothing or features, such as a tattoo.

The next stage is cases where there is sufficient evidence to identify the person. This can be done with one "primary" piece of evidence, such as fingerprints, dental records, DNA, or a unique identity feature such as a pacemaker with a serial number of it.

If none of the primary features are available then the coroner can accept a number of "secondary" features. These include marks and scars, blood group, jewellery, x-ray, and deformity. A visual identification by someone who knows the victim is not considered reliable enough.

The final stage is for the identification to be confirmed and an inquest to be opened. The coroner is expected to adjourn inquests once they have opened to allow the victim to be released to the family.

- INDEPENDENT