SINGAPORE: When two Nepali families tried to claim the same body after the Aug 26 flood, Singaporean fingerprint specialist Yong Heng Wei was called to resolve the situation.
Both families identified the body as their next of kin based on characteristics such as clothing and physical features.
However, the fingerprint comparison conducted by Yong and his colleagues showed that the body did not belong to either family.
Yong, who is with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX), was part of the 35-member Operation Vanguard contingent deployed to Nepal from Sept 1 to 18 to support disaster relief efforts at the request of Nepali authorities.
The contingent comprised officers from the police, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and HTX.
Their efforts and those of the more than 100 personnel involved were recognised at a welcome-home reception at HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir on Saturday (Sept 26).
Minister for Law Edwin Tong attended the event as the guest of honour.
The floods, which swept through parts of Tibet and Nepal, have claimed more than 1,450 lives. Over 5,700 people are still missing, including nine Singaporeans.
The Singapore contingent was involved in post-mortem examinations, as well as fingerprint recording and identification.
They also helped train officers from the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force in drone operations.
Recounting the experience in Nepal, Yong, the officer-in-charge of HTX’s fingerprint examination team, said he and his colleagues had already returned to base, but were called back due to the urgency of the situation.
He said: “We compared (the deceased’s fingerprints) to the documents both families brought along, but unfortunately, the body didn’t belong to either family.”
Yong said fingerprints recovered from bodies are matched with those in available records, such as passports and missing-person records.
“It was quite challenging because not all bodies came with a usable set of fingerprints due to the damage done by the flood. Some bodies might also not have all fingers intact.”
Assistant Superintendent of Police Corelle Tan, a senior investigation officer with the Criminal Investigation Department, was part of the team involved in lifting fingerprints from the bodies.
“When we arrived, it had already been about a week since the disaster.
“So a lot of the bodies and remains were in an advanced state of decomposition, as some of them were soaked in water and mud.”
Tan said they had to adapt, as some of the methods they learnt during their training could not be used.
It was also her first time being deployed overseas for a mission and encountering decomposed bodies on a large scale.
“There was definitely a lot of sensory overload, and I was operating in an unfamiliar environment.
“That required constant self-regulation and focus.”
Another member of the contingent, forensic pathologist Benjamin Kuek from HSA, was involved in conducting post-mortem examinations of the bodies.
This process involves documenting and examining the bodies for any distinguishing features to help identify the deceased. These include gender, estimated age, tattoos, moles and scars.
“One of the challenges was the scale and condition of the bodies, which had differing degrees of decomposition and trauma. This can make the identification process difficult,” Kuek said.
DNA samples are also collected, and the teeth are examined by a forensic dentist.
He said: “The reconciliation process happens after we have the complete post-mortem data and information from the family. There is also additional information from the DNA analysis team and the fingerprint team.”
The reconciliation process involves matching the deceased’s fingerprints or DNA with those of their next of kin.
Senior Staff Sergeant Hasrin Hasmoon from the Singapore police and three other trainers taught 20 Nepali officers how to operate drones for search and rescue operations, which includes maximising their capabilities to locate flood victims.
The Singapore police also donated six drones to the Nepali police.
Hasrin said the drones are deployed in areas that rescue personnel cannot reach on foot.
He said one of the challenges was operating drones in a different environment from Singapore, as the officers were flying the drones 1,300m above sea level, which meant stronger winds.
In Singapore, drones typically cannot be flown more than 60m above sea level.
He also had to navigate the language barrier when sharing his expertise.
“(The Nepal officers) were very determined to learn, and we managed to communicate eventually,” he said.
At the reception, the minister thanked the officers for their service.
Tong said: “To all our 35 deployed officers, you’ve really represented Singapore with tremendous distinction.
“You left home on short notice and worked tirelessly in very unfamiliar and very challenging conditions, but carried out your duties with professionalism, with resilience and with compassion.” - The Straits Times/ANN
