A question for Edna (absence of dead bodies)

[clippedgull]

or anyone else who may know.

It has been reported in New Zealand after the earthquake that some bodies may never be found. I appreciate that one can get pretty mashed up with a few tons of concrete piling down but surely there has to be something left behind, even if it can only be identified by DNA?

I ask Edna as our resident PC

 

[tedebear]

I shall defer to Ednas greater knowledge when she is able to respond but...

Same thing happened in New York at the twin towers - people lost without trace, either crushed into the very earth or squashed beyound recognition. Sadly there were many body parts found in New York and the remainder never found. In earthquakes though sometimes the ground liquifies and people who happen to be in the way get buried like quick sand.

 

[hola gus]

I must admit i have always thought that myself. whenever you here about these mass worldwide tragedy's that often say about possibly not finding all the bodies. I can understand the floods in Aus, as Crocidiles could literally eat the remians of humans, but how under concrete can you not still have bones

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I'm no expert. I know plenty of people in 9/11 were simply vaporised due to heat and pressure factors.

I suppose to some extent the authorities in NZ are preparing families for the news that they may not have bodies as such to bury, which tends to be an important part of grieving. They may only find body parts, or traces of tissue.

 

[clippedgull]

Thanks for the responses. I must admit I never considered vaporization or liquefaction of the earth. Gruesome stuff

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Many soldiers in World War 1 have never been found , blown to bits or pulverised and buried under the soil by artillery bombardment.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Such a cheery night on NSC

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Dental records. How do they know which dentist to check? Is there a central database? Or do they contact all dentists within the near vicinity?

 

[colinz]

Toll now 163 - police - Yahoo!Xtra News

 

[Barrel of Fun]

What does scare me/make me sad is that there will be people that survive and remain trapped for a number of days, but die as they are not reached in time.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Often fire victims leave no remains - early cremation

 

[Sergei's Celebration]

This is getting a little bit gruesome so i will spare the rather horrid bits, but some of the people that have been killed by larger improvised explosive devises in Afghanistan or Explosively formed projectiles in Iraq have been unreconisable as a human. A man is about 60% water (total body water for me is 48/49 from 80 for example) and in extreme heat that water does what liquid does when hot...turn into a gas. With enough force/energy it is possible for the body to -disappear-. Also it may not have been the earthquake itself but other factors such as power lines / electricity which if of a high enough voltage can vaporise things.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Dental records. How do they know which dentist to check? Is there a central database? Or do they contact all dentists within the near vicinity?

The dental records thing is when they have a body whom they suspect to be a particular individual, and then they check with his/her dentist to confirm against the records.

There's no central database: you have to have some idea as to who the corpse is in the first place. It's just a confirmation thing, if you like.

 

[Gazwag]

Thing with DNA is you have to be able to check it against something - so if a person has no living relatives and hasn't their DNA of file you still couldn't identify them

 

[Insel affe]

What does scare me/make me sad is that there will be people that survive and remain trapped for a number of days, but die as they are not reached in time.

Thats just my worst nightmare