DANA Crash: 132 Bodies Identified As DNA-Test Result Arrives

The Lagos State Government has disclosed that the Deoxyribonucleic acid result for victims of the Dana plane crash done in the United Kingdom has arrived at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
According to the Commissioner for Health, Dr.Jide Idris, 132 bodies have been identified while 16 unrecognizable bodies are still being processed.
Idris, who spoke at a meeting with the relatives at LASUTH on Wednesday, said the bodies would be released in batches of 20 to authorized family members daily starting from today.
Among the identifiable bodies is the body of the Spokesperson, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Levi Ajunoma.
Others are Ehime Aikhomu, Li Rui, Way Yu and Hope Okeke.
Idris said, “We are going to be releasing another 132 bodies that have been identified over the next few days. We have gotten some of the results of the DNA analysis from the United Kingdom. We felt it necessary to brief the relatives on the processes and documentation needed to claim the bodies.
The Chief Pathologist of the hospital and the Chief Medical Examiner, Prof. John Obafunwa, explained that the 16 corpses still being processed could not be identified due to the burns they sustained, and because samples collected did not match with the charred bodies.
Obafunwa said corpses and death certificates would only be released to next of kins who present necessary documents needed to claim the bodies.
Obafunwa said, “It is only the next of kin that we are to release the bodies to by law; but in cases where they cannot come, we will release to the spouse, parents and siblings in that order.
“But they must come with modes of identification such as international passports, driving license which have been authorised by a referree.”