Crans-Montana, how the Dvi protocol works to identify charred bodies

"To arrive at the identification of all the victims" of the Crans-Montana massacre in Switzerland "it will take at least five to six days. There are procedures - as soon as the site can be inspected - that are put in place to ascertain their identity". So told Adnkronos Health Matteo Scopetti, associate professor of forensic medicine at the Sapienza University of Rome and medical director of the Aou S.Andrea in Rome.

"What happened in Switzerland is a mass disaster,' he continues, 'which can be caused by natural events, I am thinking of an earthquake, or by man-made events,' as in the case of the massacre at the Crans-Montana venue. 'These events have very precise characteristics and often, because of their magnitude, as happened in Switzerland, they involve health professionals from several countries who can help and collaborate together. At the scene of the massacre there are teams of Dvi (Disaster victim identification) specialists who have the task of identifying the charred bodies or those affected by the explosion,' Scopetti points out. 'The first step is the external inspection of the corpse, if there are elements of identification, if the body is intact, if there are weak features (such as eye colour or tattoos) and stronger ones (such as teeth and fingerprints).

Then, in the most difficult cases, we finish with DNA analysis. It is not a quick and easy job, I took part in the rescue and Dvi team for the Amatrice earthquake, it takes several days to get the first results'. 'Among the various approaches,' he continues, 'there is an identification system that integrates 'ante mortem' and 'post mortem' information. The forensic scientist who approaches the examination of the corpse must work in tandem with the police organs to whom information comes from the missing person reports from family members, testimonies and consultation, if any, of the list of those present. Often this information is then matched to arrive at a sketch.

In disasters where a plane crashes we have a closed list, we have the names of the passengers and this helps with identification after the accident. In the case of the restaurant fire in Switzerland,' he observes, 'the situation is more open, we may have the name of the person who booked the table but not of the person who came in. Given the involvement of our compatriots, I imagine that the Swiss authorities will accept the help of Italian experts to speed up all these procedures and arrive as soon as possible to give a name and surname to the victims and an answer to the requests of their families.

Israel has offered assistance and sent an emergency services team to Switzerland following the devastating fire in Crans-Montana, the current toll of which is 47 dead and at least a hundred injured. This was announced by the office of President Isaac Herzog, who spoke with his Swiss counterpart Guy Parmelin, expressing Israel's condolences and willingness to provide concrete help.