Citation

Ludes B, Tracqui A, Pfitzinger H, Kintz P, Levy F, Disteldorf M, Hutt JM, Kaess B, Haag R, Memheld B. J. Forensic Sci. 1994; 39(5): 1147-1152.

Affiliation

Institut de Médecine Légale, Strasbourg, France.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7964560

Abstract

The authors present the medico-legal investigations and identification after the aircrash of the Airbus A320 upon the Mount Sainte-Odile (France). The identification team comprising investigators from the gendarmerie, forensic pathologists, odontologists, and scientists of the Institute from Legal Medecine rapidly retrieved and identified 85 of the 87 victims, with 17 being identified through DNA typing, three through fingerprints and the remaining through dental records and specific physical or X-ray findings. Full autopsies were performed on all fatalities to determine patterns of injury and cause of death. Results lead us to point out the importance of a multidisciplinary team of forensic practitioners especially trained for managing medico-legal investigation in mass disaster and the ability of DNA technology to solve complex identification problems.

Language: en