Source:Xinhua Published: 2014-7-19 12:32:35
The international police organization (Interpol) based in Lyon, France, said on Friday they are ready to send in the next 48 hours a team to help identify the victims of flight MH17 of Malaysia Airlines that crashed Thursday in eastern Ukraine.
In a press release, Interpol announced that at the request of the Ukrainian authorities, they are about to send in the next 48 hours an Incident Response Team (IRT) including Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) experts and a representative of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) to provide assistance on site.
Interpol is internationally recognized as holding the global standard in the identification of disaster victims, which served as the basis for the identification of victims after disasters such as the 2004 tsunami in Asia and the crash of flight AF447 Air France in 2009, explained the organization.
According to the statement, with the support of a 24-hour Command Center and coordination based at the General Secretariat of the Organization in Lyon, the team will also commit to evaluate the need to request the deployment of more experts in identification of disaster victims or experts specialized in other areas from at least nine countries around the world to assist in the identification of the 298 victims.
"With victims of this tragedy from all parts of the globe, international cooperation is essential in ensuring their accurate, dignified and speedy recovery and identification so as to enable the families to begin the healing process," said Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble in the statement.
"Interpol is uniquely placed to provide this support to each of our involved member countries, and having spoken with Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, Arsen Avakov, I have assured him of our continued assistance for as long as it is required," added the Interpol Chief.
Having learned of the crash of the flight, Interpol contacted its National Central Bureaus in Kiev, The Hague and Kuala Lumpur to offer the organization's full support, the organization announced earlier in the day.