INTERPOL deploys team to support investigation into Germanwings plane crash

LYON, France – At the request of French authorities, INTERPOL is deploying an Incident Response Team (IRT) to support the investigation into the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps which killed 150 people.

Based at the French investigation crisis cell in Paris the team, initially comprising four experts, will provide Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) and linguistic support in addition to assisting the coordination of ante-mortem or AM data collection to help with the identification process.

“INTERPOL is committed to providing whatever support is required by any of the affected countries following this tragic incident,” said Secretary General Jürgen Stock.

“With victims from around the world, international cooperation is essential in ensuring their accurate, dignified and swift recovery and identification. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and all those affected,” concluded Mr Stock.

Supported by INTERPOL’s 24-hour Command and Coordination Centre (CCC) at the General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, the IRT will also assess requirements for any additional DVI and other specialist deployment.

INTERPOL’s internationally recognized DVI guidelines are the global standard in identifying victims and have previously been the basis for successful victim identification following major disasters including the 2004 Asian tsunami, the 2009 Air France AF 447 tragedy and the Malaysia Airlines MH 17 crash in Ukraine last year.

The INTERPOL DVI process ensures a structured collection and comparison of identifiers such as fingerprints, dental records or DNA samples with ones recovered from the victims’ homes or provided by family members. (INTERPOL)