Identifying dead a nightmare job

By ANNE BESTON and AGENCIES

The job of identifying the victims of the Bali blasts will be a "nightmare" and could take weeks, says a Tauranga pathologist.

The first problem authorities would face was to identify who was at the two bars, said Dr Martin Sage. The second was the state of the bodies.

"If there has been an intense inferno, there will be the whole spectrum of severe burns, including incineration-type ones where people will be identifiable only from dental records and DNA."

Some bodies would have been blown to pieces.

Another problem developing last night in Bali was that there was not enough refrigeration or embalming fluid to cope with the numbers of dead.

Dr Sage said New Zealand pathologists were not in a position to help because most were needed here, but the Australians would probably send some of their experts.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard called on his compatriots to prepare for more deaths.

He said it would be several days before the final toll was known.

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Foreign Affairs advice to New Zealanders

* Travellers should defer travel to Bali

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* Foreign Affairs Hotline: 0800 432 111

Feature: Bali bomb blast

Pictures from the scene of the blast

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