SENAMECF activated 24-hour operational deployment to identify victims of the earthquakes of the 24J
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Published at: 10/07/2026 11:51 AM
The National Service of Medicine and Forensic Sciences (SENAMECF) activated a 24-hour operational deployment at the Bello Monte morgue facilities and in the silos to provide immediate response to the families of the victims of the double earthquake.
During an interview with Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), the agency's deputy director, Sinuhe Villalobos, emphasized that the procedure is implemented through the application of rigorous international standards and protocols.
He explained that the tasks are carried out according to the condition in which the bodies enter, with the aim of expediting legal procedures and mitigating the emotional impact of families affected by the tragedy.
In this regard, he indicated that for cases in which the victims are fully recognized by their families at the time of rescue in the areas of collapse, the regular survey protocol is developed, an autopsy is performed and then the death certificate is issued for burial activities.
However, in situations where victims do not have documentation or their features are not recognizable, SENAMECF activates a multidisciplinary approach involving anthropologists, dentists and geneticists who apply international standards to scientifically individualize each case.
He also noted that part of the protocols includes determining gender, estimated age range, detailed description of injuries and the medical cause of death. All bodies receive a strict photographic record and a unique numerical identification code.
In addition, detailed interviews are conducted with family members to compare the data provided with the physical analyses under development. “We as an institution must minimize errors, we cannot deliver a body if we are not completely sure that it belongs to the person,” he said.
On the other hand, Villalobos stressed that there are no mass graves for victims of the seismic event, “each body is placed individually in its respective niche, duly assigned with its general admission number.”
He reported that cases that require a special identification methodology have an entry number and a complementary coding assigned by anthropology and genetics teams, “which allows us to minimize errors.”
The official assured that the Venezuelan State individualizes each case, each deceased has their own space and urn, which guarantees dignity to the process and peace to their families.
Mazo News Team