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6.3.4. Identification of bodies

Read more in Chapter 6 beginning on page 13 of Management of Dead Bodies 
in Disaster Situations, and see an example of a form for the identification of dead bodies in Annex 1, page 36, of the same publication.

If forensic resources are not available immediately, a local team should be instructed to record information that would help to identify the victim and how to safeguard this information before bodies decompose to facilitate future identification by forensic specialists. These tasks include:

• Attempt to match available information on the deceased (physical characteristics, clothing, etc.) with information on people missing or presumed dead.
• Take photographs of the bodies, including views of the face, entire body, clothing, personal belongings, and any other distinctive features.
• Immediately collect all possible basic information to support the process of forensic identification later on.
• The key steps for the identification of bodies are assigning a unique reference number to each, attaching a label to the body, taking photographs and recording information, and preserving the body in an appropriate place.
• Any body part that has been found separately and is evidence of a death can help in identifying the victim, and should be assigned a unique reference number.

6.3.5. Information management and communications (read more in Chapter 9, beginning on page 23, of Management of Dead Bodies
 After Disasters: 
A Field Manual for First Responders)

Although the national authorities are responsible for managing information and communications about the dead and missing, a pre-established framework for coordinating the management of bodies may provide support for these tasks. Some actions include:

• Create an information management and communication support team and provide the basic resources (human, technical, and financial) for its operation.
• Establish information management procedures that ensure respect for the privacy of victims and family members.
• Support the creation and operation of local information centers where the public can submit search requests or seek information on missing persons who are of concern to them.
• Help prepare messages directed to the population on the response measures and procedures under way, using all available means of transmitting the information.
• Support communication with the media, family members, the public, and other actors with a relationship to the emergency.

6.3.6. Final disposal of bodies

Read more in Chapter 8, beginning on page 21, of Management of Dead Bodies
 after Disasters: 
A Field Manual for First Responders and the section of the publication on Management of Dead Bodies in Disaster Situations, beginning on page 58.

Ideally, bodies are quickly identified and returned to family members or communities for burial according to local customs and practices. However, there may be unclaimed bodies that require disposal.

The most common approach in these cases is ‘long-term storage,’ following a set of practices that preserve evidence for eventual forensic research. The following guidelines apply:

• Burial sites should be clearly located and identified, and consideration must be given to soil conditions, the height of the water table, and the space available.
• The site must be acceptable to the neighboring population, and should not be far from the affected community, so that those concerned can visit the site.
• The burial place should be clearly defined and surrounded by a transition area at least 10 meters wide that permits planting vegetation with deep roots and that isolates the burial site from inhabited areas.
• Bodies should be buried no less than 1.5 meters below ground and at least 200 meters from water sources such as streams, rivers, lakes, springs, waterfalls and beaches.
• If there are a small number of bodies, they can be buried in individual graves 0.4 meters apart. Bodies should be placed in a single layer, not some on top of others. For a large number of bodies common graves are used.
• Avoid cremating bodies that have not already been identified, as this would destroy evidence for future investigation. Cremation can presents logistical issues such as the need for fuel and the problem of incomplete incineration of bodies, that may result in the scattering of partially incinerated remains.