For Some Families, It Will Be a Prolonged Process to Burial

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – As of Tuesday, families will start to positively identify the remains of the crash victims at the morgue.

Unfortunately, due to the state of those remains, only a few are said to be recognizable, as many as 7 are said to be very badly burnt or dismembered.

In the absence of jewelry, personal effects or identifiable markings, DNA will have to be used, which is where it gets complicated because that process must be done by police.

With no in-country DNA testing facilities, police will have to send samples abroad in order to match with that of surviving close relatives.

This can take months, which means the process to properly bury these victims is nowhere in sight.

Families can begin offering those DNA samples immediately, as there is also the option of using dental records, should they exist.

There are in country experts, able to match existing records with those of the victims.

Then for those victims who can be identified, they will have to be autopsied to determine an exact cause of death, and released to families soon after.

In short, for some families, it could be months before they can finally lay loved ones to rest.

Meanwhile, Our News is reliably informed that a meeting planned for Monday with immediate family members of the crash has been postponed.

We understand that only six of the 10 victims’ immediate family members have reached out to the airline. The airline says they thought it best to await the official identification process.

The airline has however decided to hold individual meetings with the families in the order of identification, rather than wait for a group meeting.

A spokesman for the airline said “our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and loved ones of the passengers who died… (and) we are committed to fully cooperating with the crash investigation, and deeply appreciate the national and international support being given to all impacted by this tragic incident.”

When we contacted police to see when there would be an official release of the names of the victims, they told Our News they will know tomorrow what information they can give, which could indicate they too are awaiting for the identification process to begin at the morgue.