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KLANG – Autopsies on the victims of the Beechcraft air crash near Bandar Elmina in Shah Alam on Thursday were completed last night and are currently awaiting DNA test results.
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said as many as 300 samples of body parts were sent to the chemistry department for DNA testing and 30% were completed.
He said the post-mortem involved 30 pathology and forensic officers.
“Yesterday we got a positive DNA match belonging to p-hailing rider Muhamad Hafiz Muhamad Saleh. The body was handed over to his family this morning.
“The chemistry department is working hard to complete all DNA tests and we are positive that the process will be completed by Monday,” he said in a press conference at the forensics department of Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital here today.
Hussein also said he expects another body to be identified today and handed over to the next of kin tomorrow.
Besides DNA matching, the bodies are also being identified using dental records and fingerprints, he said.
“Thus far, police have identified eight victim fingerprints,” he said.
Hussein expressed hope the victims’ relatives would be able to accept the remains in the condition that they were.
He added that there were burned body parts that could not be processed for DNA matching.
“The families should be patient because the DNA testing process is complicated and sensitive and we want all the pieces to be handed over to the proper families,” he said.
The 2.48pm crash on Thursday claimed the lives of two crew members and six passengers on board. It also killed two motorists – an e-hailing driver and a p-hailing rider – who happened to be passing by the crash site. – Bernama, August 19, 2023