Relatives of Lampedusa victims told that many bodies are difficult to identify without DNA testing

Relatives of Lampedusa victims told that many bodies are difficult to identify without DNA testing

(Lampedusa 15-10-2013) Distraught relatives of victims of the Lapedusa migrant boat accident have been told that many of the remains recovered several hours after the accident have been disfigured beyond recognition.

Pastor Daniel Habte who is in the Island, as a volunteer for Release Eritrea, a UK charity, confirmed that pictures of the bodies that got to see were indeed impossible.  This is partly due to the fact that the adverse weather conditions following the accident had halted recovery operations and hence bodies were in the sea longer.

The ongoing confusion over the funeral arrangement means that many bodies are being moved to various areas in the region without much information or notice to relatives or survivors.

Pastor Daniel also indicated that, despite interviews to the contrary neither the Eritrean Ambassador nor his official representatives are in the Island to liaise with Italian officials over the request for repatriation of the remains of the victims.

The survivours continue to deal with uncertainties about their future as well as their grief over the accident that claimed many of their friends and members of their family.

One of the suvivours who was with Pastor Daniel at the time we spoke to him said: ‘I really am not impressed by the flurry of activities now, when we signalled for help we had an Italian vessel that came very close, saw the situation we were in and just left us there, our boat wouldn’t have capsized, if the distress alarm fire wasn’t lit suddenly without informing the passengers.  We would have all survived.  And even after the accident help was very slow in coming. A single person, a woman in one boat was able to save 38 people and she was there in seven minutes, while it took for the naval ships nearly an hour to get there, we could have all survived but we were left to die. This is why many of us want to get as far away from this place as possible’

For his part Pastor Daniel said: ‘many of survivours, say similar things it is so sad to see this many distraught young people aimlessly roaming the streets of a very small island’
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