Subject to further evidence at the Inquest, the identities of the three deceased persons whose bodies were recovered are:
1. Mohammad Ali Ayubi; 45 years of age from Afghanistan
2. Muzafar Ali Safarali; 45 years of age from Afghanistan
3. Mohammed Amini Zamen; 38 years of age from Afghanistan.
The identity of the two deceased persons whose bodies weren't recovered are:
4. Awaz Nader, 50 years of age from Afghanistan
5. Baquer Husani, 26 years of age from Afghanistan
These identities also match those initially provided to the Australian Defence Force Personnel who boarded the vessel prior to the explosion.
Superintendent Tony Fuller, the Northern Territory Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Commander confirmed Police had been liaising for some time with family members of the deceased,
"This prolonged and challenging DVI process has been difficult for everyone involved but especially for the family members of the deceased.
"We have been liaising closely with family representatives and hopefully now, they will have some degree of closure prior to the Coronial Public Inquest commencing in 2010." He said.
During the course of identifying the deceased, NT Police have travelled to Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Jakarta to conduct enquiries.
Police have been in regular contact with Afghan Community members in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne and further assisted by some Afghan members currently accommodated by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Superintendent Fuller added "I would like to acknowledge and thank the members of the Afghan communities in Australia for their assistance, patience and understanding of the process we had to undertake to best ensure the identities of the deceased persons."
The DVI process has been challenging due to a number of factors including:
The lack of personal identification the deceased carried with them.
The illegality surrounding their entry into Australia.
The miss-spelling and differentiating order of their names.
The reluctance of some relatives to come forward in the hope that their relatives were not on the vessel.
The lack of accessible identifying records for comparison such as dental, fingerprint and DNA records.
The direct families of the deceased residing in war torn parts of Afghanistan or as refugees in other countries in the region.
The length of time it took to identify the injured on board the vessel, some of whom remained in intensive care for several weeks after the explosion.
The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine assisted the Northern Territory Police with an Independent comparison of the photographs obtained of the deceased and this further corroborated the findings Northern Territory Police had previously determined.
Two of the three bodies of the deceased persons recovered at the scene of the explosion by the Australian Defence Force have been flown to Afghan Communities in Perth and Adelaide and the third deceased person is expected to arrive in Melbourne today (24 September 2009).
No further details will be provided by NT Police in relation to the identity of the deceased or the whereabouts of their families in the interest of their personal safety.
1.Mohammad Ali Ayubi; 45 years of age 2.Muzafar Ali Safarali; 45 years of age 3.Mohammed Amini Zamen; 38 years of age 4. Awaz Nader, 50 years of age 5. Baquer Husani, 26 years of age
Media contact:
Katie Fowden
8901 0281
