EgyptAir Flight 804 Update: DNA Samples Taken from Victims, Relatives To Identify Passengers

EgyptAir flight 804 went missing and later on believed to crash into the Mediterranean sea for reasons still unknown.

Rigorous search operations are being done to recover parts of the wreckage and bodies of passengers aboard the plane. Aside from investigating the cause of the crash, forensic experts need to deploy every means possibly to identify the remains of the passengers, Today, the only possible solution to help name the victims is by comparing their DNA to their relatives.

An Australian News organization reported that an Egyptian forensic official said there were about 80 pieces of human remains recovered. Because the remains are missing some important body parts such as the heads, the only logical way to identify the victims is through DNA testing.

"Body parts arrived at the morgue yesterday and other body parts arrived the day before yesterday," said EgyptAir head, Safwat Masalam in an interview. The remains arrived in Cairo where experts are currently performing DNA testing. The passengers' family members are also arriving in Cairo to give DNA samples where the results from the victims' tests will be compared.

In DNA testing, the molecule DNA is examined to identify similar genetic code which dictates the traits of a person like an eye color. Most genetic markers of related individuals will match.

Most of the recovered body parts have evident burn marks, according to a report by the New York Post. The report added, however, that it is too early to tell whether there was an explosion on board before the plane went missing, according to Egypt's Forensic Authority chief, Hisham Abdel-Hamid. Despite massive efforts geared towards finding out the cause of the plane crash, forensic experts are also dedicated a chunk of their workforce to identify the victims.

The black box from the plane, which is an Airbus A320 model, hasn't been found yet. French and Egyptian authorities are committed to finding the black box which can give answers as to what transpired before the plane went missing.

A report by the Associated Press said a large-scale search operation had been launched where ships and planes from Britain, Cyprus, France, Greece and the US will take part. The report also mentioned that a state-of-the-art French vessel joined the search last Monday which is equipped with sonar sensors which could identify signals from recorders underwater.