Bangkok: The family of a 19-year-old man from Khon Kaen, identified as the eighth victim in the State Audit Office building collapse, visited the Police General Hospital to collect DNA samples for confirming the identity of the deceased.
According to Thai News Agency, this morning at the Police General Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine, relatives of the victims began arriving to collect DNA samples for identification and to claim the bodies. The family of Mr. Jessada Sonchai traveled to confirm his identity after learning he was the eighth deceased person, whose body was found early this morning. As the family received the news, Mr. Jessada's mother collapsed in distress and required assistance from nearby relatives, officers, and reporters.
Mr. Jessada's relatives shared that he had been working at the building for approximately two months and had planned to return to Khon Kaen for Songkran. They now await DNA results to confirm his identity officially. Earlier in the day, Mr. Jessada's family visited the collapse site, hoping to find him alive or deceased, before confirming his identity and transferring his body to the Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Wirun Supasingsiripreecha, Commander of the Police General Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine, stated that the Institute will provide a One Stop Service to assist the relatives with document processing and body collection. Officers from various agencies have been mobilized to set up a service point on the 3rd floor of the Institute, and forensic doctors will conduct autopsies to expedite identity verification and return the body to the family for religious rites.
All deceased from the building collapse will be sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, where a specific zone for identification has been established. This measure aims to facilitate the identification process and ensure that the bodies are returned to the families promptly. Victims from other incidents in Bangkok will also be processed at the Institute. There will be no service fee for families to aid them in this difficult time.
Currently, officials are compiling the data regarding the total number of victims and families who have contacted for identification, with plans to report the findings to the media once confirmed.