The families and friends of those killed in the Paddington rail disaster were warned yesterday they face prolonged agony because the positive identification of their loved ones could take weeks. Police fear the fire after the crash was so intense that the normal method of identifying a body by sight will be rendered impossible.
Those who fear they have lost family and friends yet to be identified gathered at four places in London, Reading, Swindon and Cheltenham yesterday. They were briefed by police on the investigation and counsellors were on hand to help them cope with their grief.
At the Royal Lancaster Hotel in west London, where 25 relatives gathered, Det Supt Shaun Sawyer, head of family liaison for the disaster, said: "What is becoming clear is the scale of the incident. The intensity of the fire at the scene is going to make identification, as at King's Cross [tube disaster], extremely difficult."
An identification commission would be formed consisting of the coroner, pathologists, forensic scientists and police officers.
At the scene of the crash, rescue workers were meticulously logging every item of clothing, pieces of jewellery, diaries, office security passes or any other identifiable personal possession.
At Scotland Yard, information from relatives was being gathered by officers staffing emergency hotlines. They were keeping a record of every person believed to have been on one of the trains, which could be matched with evidence from the crash site.
However, relatives may report somebody they believe to be missing who turns out not to have been on one of the trains.
In their relief, they may forget to inform Scotland Yard that their loved one has turned up, so families' calls to the casualty bureau must be sensitively followed up in order to ensure that the investigators' lists remain as accurate as possible.