Bangkok: Thanayut Wutticharatthamrong, acting assistant commissioner-general of the Royal Thai Police and director of the Identification Operation Center, Royal Thai Police Office, along with Pol. Maj. Gen. Wirun Supasingsiripreecha, commander of the Police General Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine, and relevant officials, announced the closure of the Personal Identification Center due to the collapse of the Office of the Auditor General building following an earthquake on March 28, 2025.
According to Thai News Agency, Pol. Lt. Col. Wirun elaborated on the identification efforts carried out from March 28, 2025, until June 10. The examination process adhered to international standards, utilizing fingerprints, dental records, and DNA information. Collaborators included experts from the Criminal Records Division, the Central Institute of Forensic Science, and the Institute of Forensic Medicine. The Institute of Forensic Medicine received 80 bodies and 316 body parts from Bang Sue Police Station. The identities of 93 individuals were confirmed and returned to their families, while 2 remain unidentified due to a lack of DNA comparison from relatives. The confirmed identities comprised 64 Thais, 25 Burmese, 3 Cambodians, 1 Laotian, and 2 individuals of unknown nationality.
Pol. Lt. Col. Wirun noted the challenges of examining small body parts, explaining that while tissue examination is feasible for intact bodies, the delayed recovery of remains complicated the process. However, bone examination remained possible, and a system was employed to match body parts, allowing up to 12 pieces to be combined to identify one person. This incident marks the largest examination of body parts by the Institute of Forensic Medicine outside of a tsunami event.
Pol. Gen. Thanayut addressed the two unidentified individuals, urging those who suspect they may have relatives who worked in the collapsed building to contact police for DNA testing. He expressed gratitude to police officers nationwide for facilitating DNA testing for relatives without travel expenses and assured that the identification process was conducted meticulously. Thanayut announced the closure of the Identification Operation Center due to the building's collapse from the earthquake.