Mass Fatality: A Forensic Perspective

Hariraj  Sellamuthu; Anil  Kohli; S K  Verma

Hariraj Sellamuthu Junior Resident Academic, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, University college of medical science & GTB Hospital, Delhi University, India.
Anil Kohli Director Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, University college of medical science & GTB Hospital, Delhi University, India.
S K Verma Head of the Department, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, University college of medical science & GTB Hospital, Delhi University, India.

Keywords: Mass Fatality, Disaster, Forensic Investi gati on, Forensic Medicine

Abstract

As per def i niti on, a mass fatality incident is an emergency responseto identi fy an incident involving more dead bodies and/ or body parts than that can be located, identi fi ed, and processed for fi nal entombment by available resources. Mass fatality incident management is multi disciplinary teamwork, and the role of the forensic doctor is to direct and coordinate postmortem investi gati ons. A mass fatality can happen anyti me and anywhere with no warning. A crucial role played by forensic doctors is recovering and identi fying human remains and evidence. The law-enforcement investi gati ve informati on gathering and documentati on require a high degree of skill, dedicati on, and empathy for this demanding work. However, the sati sfacti on of helping solve the mystery with medical knowledge, getti ng justi ce for the corpse, and then returning home can make it all worthwhile. In this paper, we will describe a typical day in the life of a healthcare worker in a mortuary,
highlighti ng the challenges of handling high-profi le, news media-focused mass fatality autopsy cases.

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