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The Role of Forensic Anthropology in the Examination of the Daegu Subway Disaster (2003, Korea) *
Author(s) -
Park DaeKyoon,
Park KyungHo,
Ko JeongSik,
Kim YiSuk,
Chung NakEun,
Ahn YongWoo,
Han SeungHo
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2009.01027.x
Subject(s) - forensic anthropology , forensic science , forensic examination , forensic odontology , history , forensic engineering , sample (material) , schematic , archaeology , medicine , engineering , dentistry , electronic engineering , chemistry , chromatography
Meticulous recovery of victims in the Daegu subway disaster was possible, because charred and fragmented victims were left in situ . Because bodies were piled one over another within the train, appropriate methodology during the recovery was critical to identifying the victims. The disaster area was thoroughly documented with notes, photographs, and schematic drawings of the various locations. The recovery team, comprising two medical examiners and one forensic anthropologist, decided when charred body parts and cremated bones were linked to the same individual based on the anatomy and forensic anthropological examination. Without these recovery procedures, it would not have been possible to efficiently harvest representative DNA sample from most of the victims’ body parts. After the entire process of identification, 136 victims were positively identified, and six victims remained unidentified. This study supports the crucial role of forensic anthropologists in the recovery of victims, especially in fire scenes.