Identification of victims of the collapse of a mine tailing dam in Brumadinho.
Ricardo Moreira Araújo, Yara Vieira Lemos, Erlon Dias do Nascimento, Anna Helena Silva Paraizo, Alberto Julius Alves Wainstein, Ana Paula Drummond‐Lage
Abstract
< 0.001). Polytraumatic injury was the prevalent single cause of death. Necropsy examination revealed the occurrence of asphyxia in 7% of cases. The higher number of fatalities and greater dismemberment among employees than with community residents underlines the occupational dangers in the mining industry and clarifies the dynamics of the disaster. In the initial weeks after the dam collapsed, friction ridge analysis was the most appropriate method for identification. Subsequently, DNA analysis became the most-used technique for identification and re-identification owing to the great volume of body parts and decomposed biological tissue. Autopsy allowed diagnosis of the causes of death to be clarified according to the Brazilian criminal legal system.