Belgian experts to help identify Tsunami dead

25 May 2005

BRUSSELS – A team of Belgian experts could fly back to Thailand to help identify the rest of the victims of the Tsunami.

On Wednesday, it was reported that Interpol-Lyon has requested the help of Belgium’s federal police team the Disaster Victims Identification team (DVI).

From 29 December to March, two teams of 22 and 15 people from the DVI helped identify more than 600 of the 4,000 western victims of the disaster.

The DVI is satisfied that it has identified all of the 10 Belgians reported missing apart from a mysterious 11th man, who experts believe was a known paedophile who used the disaster as a chance to disappear completely from public records.

Interpol, though, wants Belgium to help it identify some 800 more western victims, whose bodies have been frozen for the time being.

The bodies could come from Europe, Australia, the US or Canada.

If Belgium agrees to help the Thailand mission, teams of 12 men and women could be asked to do three-week shifts until the end of this year.

The challenge will be considerable since western countries have reported fewer people missing than there are victims.

Subject: Belgian news