Search for Yolanda cadavers continues

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – More than nine months after super typhoon Yolanda devastated this city, the search for dead bodies continues, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection-Region 8's report this week.

Chief Inspector Sergio Nayra, BFP-8 operations division chief, said the bureau's task force on cadaver collection has not stop the retrieval operation until now, said a PNA report.

The BFP-8 already found a total of 2,698 bodies from November 15, last year to August 18, this year, from the coastal villages of San Jose, Bagacay, Manlurip, Aslum Sagkahan, Magallanes, Tigbao and Anibong.

"We did not stop collecting dead bodies. As long as there are reports coming from the community, we will continue this operation," Nayra said. "When there are reports regarding dead bodies, we automatically go to the area and check it."

For the ongoing retrieval operation, the BFP-8 just relies on reports from residents because it has no sniffing dogs to help in the search and recovery works. "The lack of sniffing dogs affects the retrieval operation," Nayra said.

After the National Bureau of Investigation-Region 8 takes photographs of the recovered cadaver and gathers DNA samples for identification, the bodies are then brought to the mass grave sites at Barangays Suhi and Basper in the city outskirts.

Under the Task Force Yolanda, the BFP and the NBI are responsible for the collection and identification of the dead bodies being recovered in different typhoon-affected areas. (FREEMAN)