Update -- 2:30 pm in Thailand

 

I just spoke to Al a few minutes ago. He is now working as part of a multi-lingual team of eight at one of three temples where bodies of the dead are being analyzed by forensic teams. He thinks he will be there until about 7:00 tonight and hopefully will get to catch up on some sleep after that.

 

They have created a Missing Persons form and translated it into several languages. Now the team's job is to keep relatives and friends away from the area where the bodies are being kept, and to instead have them fill out a complete description of the missing persons (height, shoe size, eye colour, birthmarks, etc). By this time, the victims' bodies are hardly identifiable by sight, so relatives would not even recognize a spouse or child. The only thing they can do is fill out a form and wait to hear. This information will then be used by the forensics specialists to more easily identify the bodies. After DNA samples and photos have been taken, the bodies will be taken to a mass burial site in Phuket.

 

Earlier today, Al was asked to take a team from the Finnish Bureau of Investigation inside so they could meet the forensics team and ask questions on procedure. He could hardly describe the scene that met his eyes. I won't even try to recreate for you what he told me. In the end he said that the only way to stay sane in the midst of the situation is to not let yourself think about it. If you allow yourself even one thought, you go down a slippery slope and are then useless to those around you.

 

Again, what a horrible tragedy. Please continue to pray for relatives and friends

who have yet to hear about their loved ones.

 

Joane