On a railway platform in the Odesa region of Ukraine, workers are unloading white bags with bodies that arrived in refrigerated cars. This is part of the 6,000 bodies that were handed over by Russia as part of the latest exchange. Inside the bags are mutilated bodies covered in dirt and rot.
Search teams are working at a fast pace to identify each victim. The process of handling each body takes about 20-30 minutes. A team of specialists, which includes a police officer, a pathologist, a forensic expert, and other specialists, works under a camouflage net to protect themselves from the scorching sun.
'The bodies are just part of over 70,000 people in Ukraine who have been listed as 'missing under special circumstances,' - this is the legal definition for those who have disappeared during the ongoing war,' - writes The New York Times.
Six teams are engaged in forensic work on a closed platform, protected by camouflage netting from the scorching sun. Each team includes a police investigator, a forensic technician, a pathologist, a scout, and a paramedic.
'We are the first in Ukraine to organize such work,' - said Tetyana Papizh, head of the regional bureau of forensic examination.
The identification process is complicated as some bodies are severely damaged. Relatives receive identification numbers, personal belongings, and DNA samples to ensure the accuracy of the identification process. This process can take over a year due to the complexity and volume of work with the bodies.
Identifying the deceased as part of the military body exchange is a complex and lengthy process carried out on a railway platform in the Odesa region of Ukraine. Search teams are working quickly on the identification of each body to provide relatives the opportunity to know the fate of their loved ones who died during the war. This process requires significant effort and specialized expertise, and may take considerable time due to the complexity of the conditions and the state of the bodies.