Opinion (Rogério COPETO / Official GNR): MISSING IN FIRE, ANOTHER TRAGEDY.
Reading the article, the Public 23 of June "Government does not know how many people are missing"And the article"PJ says he still twelve missing Pedrógão fire" (no link available), the newspaper Daily News 24 June, we learned that there are still people missing, as a result of Pedrógão Grande fire.
Rogério COPETO
Lieutenant Colonel of the GNR
Master in Law and Security and Homeland Security Auditor
Head of the Education Division / Command Doctrine and Training
The Public Article is referred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAY) admits not knowing the number of missing persons and JN Article states that the Judicial Police (PJ) I had, until the afternoon of the day 23 June, registered the disappearance of 12 people as a result of Pedrógão Grande fire.
Already on the deaths PJ states that this number may increase in the coming days, and the good news, is that all 64 fatalities located so far, They have been identified, and the number of injured stood at 254.
With the identification of 64 fatalities and 254 injured, it is now possible to make the crossing of the dead and wounded to the missing, so as to tune the number of disappearances, and the location of work arising from the first day, the different entities that are on the ground, fitting the GNR hit the villages one by one, in accordance with Article JN.
Since o dia 17 June that the authorities are concerned about identifying all the victims and locate the missing of Pedrógão Grande fire, and although they are both time consuming and complex processes, the Institute of Forensic Medicine could last six days of the tragedy proceed to the identification of the 64 fatalities, having recourse to DNA even in comparison 18 two bodies, that being the 64 fatalities, 45 They have been handed over to their families, lying in the other conditions being also raised.
With regard to the missing, as above, They have not yet been located 12 people, and that this is a concern for the authorities and a suffering addition to their families, because they do if they are alive or dead, It is synonymous with anguish and psychological crises, with the aggravating circumstance of not being able to mourn. The ignorance of the whereabouts of loved ones leave their families grappling with uncertainty, and there is no opportunity for funeral and early mourning. On this subject we suggest a reading the manual "Living with absence – Helping the families of the missing"Authored by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Several times I had the opportunity to address the issue of missing persons here in LN, having been the first time in the article entitled "Missing child: One child, various settings ", on 25 May 2015, which it was intended to present the study called "Missing children in the European Union: Mapping, data collection and statistics" date from 2013 and presents the results of work done by 27 EU Member States in the missing children, on 2 June 2015 we addressed the issue of "missing persons and the 'myth of 24 hours' "And not 1 December 2015 it was time to address this matter of "Disappearance of elderly".
On all items we realized that in normal situations, the missing, is a child, a person of age or an elderly, are complex events that need to be managed and properly identified, particular view of the criminal, and in extreme situations, as are natural disasters, where fires include, the greater the complexity and difficulty.
As a result of any natural disaster, as an earthquake, inundation, landslip, tsunami, hurricane or fire are victims, that can never be found, dead or alive, and unfortunately there are several examples of such situations.
Given that the disappearance of persons, these extreme situations, not be a subject of which have much familariedade, however we intend to remember what procedures are to be followed by GNR, whenever you have news of a disappearance, which basically are the procedures that are to be met in the case of missing persons in Pedrógão Grande fire.
It is the GNR the competent regional police authority in the area of ​​Pedrógrão Large fires, GNR to fit the obligation to initiate the procedures and steps leading to its location, in the shortest possible time, of all missing persons, though it may be at the base of the disappearances, the practice of any type of crime, and for that reason, that the investigation of this occurrence be delivered to PJ. Recalls that being concerned a missing child should always be assumed that there is danger to life or physical integrity, even without the existence of crime.
In normal cases of missing persons, the beginning of the proceedings leading to its location, It is not limited by any timeframe, are 24, 48 or 72 hours, so the GNR report that fact immediately to all your disposivo, also informing all other forces and security services, so that information reaches the whole national territory.
On the ground operating should know the usual routine of the missing person, collecting information about their normal travel, and a perimeter established, greater or lesser depending on the disappearance time, starting the operation as soon as possible. Requested the collaboration of the local fire brigade and population, especially those who know the missing person and the theater, who act under the orders of Commander competent Territorially, constituting for this purpose search teams, reinforced by binomials cinotécnicos.
recourse is yet to technologies, including cell phone location, as well as to the Media (OCS), that may have an important role in locating missing persons.
In any situation the disappearance of a person is a cause of great anguish for their families, causing serious psychological damage, worsening, the higher was the period of absence, so in tragic situations as were the fire Pedrógão Grande, the ignorance of the whereabouts of 12 people, It is a tragedy, that lingers even after extinguishing the flames, can not families restart their lives, until they are found, dead or alive.
