It has become evident that the process of matching remains of Ethiopian Airlines plane crash victims to DNA samples may take months, extending the pain of the affected families.
According to the authorities, it could take months for analysts to match the body parts recovered from the crash scene to DNA samples family members will provide.
on Tuesday, the Ethiopian authorities kept a tight lid on information on the recovery process.
Senior Kenyan officials, including Transport PS Esther Koimett left Ethiopia last night, in the clearest indication yet that there is no-end in sight into investigations into the crash whose reverberations have left permanent scars on hundreds of families.
With the information blackout, family members have been left to their own devices in Addis Ababa – the Ethiopian capital where information flow remains slow and scarce, exacerbating the pain of already distressed relatives.
Relatives of one of the victims, Mama Sahra Hassan, for instance, camped at the Kenyan Embassy help desk.
Her son, Khalid Abdikadir Mohamed shared his frustration over the slow release of information on his mother and brother.
“We are here hoping that we would have a clear indication of where matters stand but we cannot even get a confirmation if we will be taken to the accident scene,” said Mohamed.
About 20 of his relatives had travelled from South Africa, with the hope of seeing and perhaps carrying home the remains of their loved ones for burial.
Yesterday, they, like many other families, camped at the Ethiopian Airlines-owned Skylight Hotel near Bole International Airport.
Mohamed’s younger brother and father broke down in the middle of a press interview, an indication of pain and frustration. The long wait to bury their kin clashes with their religious belief that requires prompt burial of the dead.
Islam requires one to be interred within 24 hours. Judaism – the Jewish religion, gives 72-hour window which expires on Thursday morning.