DANA CRASH: 43 Bodies Recognisable, Says LASUTH CMD

Relations of the DANA air crash visit LASUTH to identify bodies of lost ones

Only 43 bodies out of the 153 recovered at the site of Sunday’s Dana air plane crash in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos are recognisable.

Families yesterday identified 29 corpses, Chief Medical Director of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Prof. David Oke, said. 

According to him, 14 bodies are yet to be identified.  

He added that the remaining 103 bodies were burnt beyond recognition and had been transferred to the Mainland General Hospital for forensic analyses.  

The corpse of a Chinese and Canadian, Kim Norris, were among those already identified.

At about 2:15 p.m., the remaining 14 identifiable bodies in unzipped body bags were laid out on stretchers. Relations walked around them, guarded from the stench of rot by nose masks, while looking at the bloated and mutilate figures.

Disbelief and horror were written clearly on their faces. Some of them shed tears. 

Names of the identified corpses were released by the management of the hospital.

They are:

 Martin Alade, Sonny Ehioghae, Okocha Christopher, Stanford Obstrute, Ikpoki Obiola, Patrick Eze Okonji, Bassey Eyo, Kanguyi (Chinese) Charles Ntoko, Dr Abiodun Jonathan (M), Ifeanwaka Jones, Obot Emmanuel (M), Prof C.O. Onwuluri, Olabinjo Awodogbin, Obinna Akubueze, Nagidi Ibrahim, Mahmud Ahmed Dukawa, Ibrahim Jangana, George Moses, Femi Shobowale, Ailende Ehi Joel, John Ahmadu Hamza (D.I.G) Kim Edger Norris (all males). The females were Chinwe Uzoamaka Obi, Temitope Ariyibi  and Anibaba Tosin. There were two babies. 

The relations of the identified bodies are becoming impatient and consequently asked the authorities at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH)when they could eventually take the corpses but the management urged them to be patient, saying it could happen with the next three days.

Prof Oke said the hospital had already started carrying out the autopsy. He said at least 12 autopsies would be performed daily.

He said Prof John Obafunwa, Consultant Pathologist and Forensic Medicine and Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), is leading seven other pathologists to perform the autopsy.

Oke said all corpses would leave with a death certificate. “And we cannot issue death certificates without autopsy,” he said.

At the morgue, two family members of each of the deceased were allowed  to identify the corpses of their family members.