Coroners Court update in Christchurch

The Coroners Court has advised that the difficult process of identifying and releasing the victims of the Christchurch earthquake is a joint operation between the Police and Coronial Services (who are part of the Ministry of Justice). Once bodies or remains are recovered, they are taken to a mortuary where the Police manage a disaster victim identification (DVI) team made up of medical professionals and forensic scientists.

Victims are under the legal custody of the Chief Coroner (Judge Neil MacLean) until he is absolutely satisfied that identity and cause of death have been established by the DVI team and they can be released back into the care of their families.

© New Zealand Law Society 2008