Korean J Leg Med.  1999 Oct;23(2):82-86.

Individual Identification of Sealand Fire Accident

• Lee DJ
• Lee HY
• Lee WT

Abstract

Twenty-three persons including twenty kindergarten children were died when a pre-dawn fire engulfed their seaside youth training camp in Hwasong on June 30, 1999. Most of children aged six, were caught up in flames while sleeping. The identification process was done in an assembly-line fashion in which the remains were processed through pre-arranged work stations, including overall body photograph, inventory of associated remains and personal effects, dental examination (radiograph and charting), full-body radiographs and autopsy when indicated. All 23 victims were identified by the examination made on usual lines. This success was mainly due to having name list of the victims and sufficiently available ante-mortem data from next of kin. This paper would provide identification process and experience of National Institute of Scientific Investigation in mass disaster of fire accident.

Keyword

fire accident; children; identification process; mass disaster

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Autopsy
Child
Disasters
Fires*
Gyeonggi-do
Humans