This archive report was first published on 12 September 2019.
On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed in Bishoftu, southeast of the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, killing 157 passengers of 35 nationalities, including 36 Kenyans and 22 United Nations affiliated travelers.
Following the crash, the International Police Incident Response Team (IRT) deployed to assist with the identification of the victims. After a 50-day mission, the IRT successfully identified all victims, with 48 matched through fingerprints.
According to INTERPOL, 100 Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) experts from 14 countries worked with the agency's IRT to identify the victims. The process involved assembling fingerprint and DNA samples, which were sent to a specialized laboratory for analysis.
INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock described the successful identification of the victims as 'of immense importance and critical to bringing closure to families that suffered the loss of their loved ones.'
The identification process was complex, involving the collection of DNA materials from the families of the victims and the analysis of commingled DNA samples. Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Amb Macharia Kamau had previously advised relatives to be patient, as the process could take longer than expected.
Kenyan families are among those seeking compensation from Boeing, the manufacturer of the ill-fated Boeing 737 Max 8 that crashed in March. The plane was grounded internationally following the ET302 crash due to safety concerns.
