QZ8501: Five bodies identified through DNA from personal belongings

The East Java Police Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team has identified five more bodies out of the 162 people who were on board the crashed AirAsia flight QZ8501 on Saturday.

Kompas.com reported the bodies were identified through DNA samples obtained from the victims’ personal belongings.

“The bodies were identified through DNA obtained from the victims’ personal belongings such as their combs and toothbrushes and not through DNA obtained from their family members.

The method was used because the victims’ DNA during the post-mortem had deteriorated. As such we had to gather antemortem data from their personal belongings,” DVI chief Budiyono told reporters.

The victim labelled as B027 has been identified as Yenni Soewono (38), B035 identified as Sesha Aldi Krisputra (15), B036 identified as Hartanto Wijaya (25), B040 identified as Albertus Eka Suya Yulianto (10), and B046 identified as Kho Kusuma Chandra (55).

Indonesian police and military personnel carry coffins with the remains of a passengers of the AirAsia flight 8501 in Surabaya. - AFP Photo/Juni Kriswanto

To date, 45 out of 51 bodies found have been identified, with nine more still being processed.

AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 crashed on Dec 28 with 155 passengers and seven crew members on board while en route to Singapore from Surabaya, Indonesia.