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ELMINA AIR CRASH: AUTOPSIES ON VICTIMS COMPLETED – POLICE

Autopsies on the victims of the Beechcraft air crash near Bandar Elmina in Shah Alam on Thursday (Aug 17), were completed last night and currently awaiting the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test results.

Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said as many as 300 samples of body parts were sent to the Department of Chemistry for the purpose of DNA testing and 30 per cent were completed.

He said the post-mortem involved 30 pathology and forensic officers.

“Yesterday we got a positive DNA match belonging to p-hailing rider Muhamad Hafiz Muhamad Saleh and the body was handed over to his family this morning.

“The Department of Chemistry is working hard to complete all DNA tests and we are positive that process will be completed by Monday,” he said in a press conference at the Forensic Department of Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital here today.

He also expected another body to be identified today and could be handed over to the next-of-kin tomorrow.

Apart from DNA matching, the identification of the bodies was also done using dental records and fingerprints, he said.

“Thus far, the police have identified eight fingerprints of the victims,” he said.

He also expressed hope the relatives of the crash victims would be able to accept the condition of the remains that would be handed over to them later.

He added that there were burned pieces of the body which could not be processed for a DNA match.

“The families should also be patient because the DNA testing process is complicated and sensitive and we want all the pieces to be handed over to the real owner,” he said.

The 2.48 pm crash on Thursday claimed the lives of two crew members and six passengers on board. It also killed two motorists – an e-hailing driver and a p-hailing rider – who happened to be passing by the crash site.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency