Indonesia Accepts Singapore’s Offer of Disaster Victim Identification Team

3 January 2015, 7:45PM Singapore Time:- Indonesia has accepted Singapore’s offer of a Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team on 2 January 2015. At 1500 hours this afternoon, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Masagos Zukifli joined family members to send off the DVI team at Changi Airport as they departed for Surabaya (photo at Annex).

The DVI team, comprising two forensic experts from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and six officers from the Singapore Police Force (SPF), will assist our Indonesian counterparts in the identification of victims.

In addition, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) Victory-class missile corvette RSS Valour, initially scheduled to depart for Singapore yesterday, was re-assigned to assist with the search operations after possible sightings by servicemen on board the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Super Puma helicopter. It is now scheduled to depart for Singapore this evening.

All five RSN ships conducted search operations in the search area today. They have retrieved personal items and aircraft debris.

For any queries, please contact:

Ms Cheryl Chong
Assistant Director (Corporate Communications)
Tel: (65) 6375 7875
Mobile: (65) 9618 6306
Email: cheryl_chong@mot.gov.sg

Ms Satwinder Kaur
Assistant Director (Corporate Communications)
Tel: (65) 6541 2912
Mobile: (65) 9621 1087
Email: satwinder_kaur@caas.gov.sg

Ms Michelle Teo
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
Tel: (65) 6541 2086
Mobile: (65) 9825 0982
Email: michelle_teo@caas.gov.sg