The Canadian Bazaar
TORONTO: As the autopsies of four members of an Indian family – who died in biting cold while trying to cross illegally into the US on Jan 19 – finally beganon Wednesday. But the process could take days before the identity of the four victims is formally announced.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which recovered the four bodies on January 19, said on Wednesday that the autopsies were delayed because the bodies very badly frozen.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Julie Courchaine the autopsy process got delayed because the human body is composed mostly of water and these bodies was so deeply frozen.
“When the bodies were found, they had been there for a period of time. It was –35 degrees…Definitely, I think that that was a factor in why it did take some extra time,” she said.
The authorities have been waiting for the bodies to `defrost’ naturally before the medical process could begin.
Courchaine said they would possibly give an update on the status of autopsies by the end of this week, but it could longer than that.
She said it all depends how many medical experts are available to conduct the autopsies, with the added fact that autopsies of the children take longer than those of adults.
Once autopsies are completed, the bodies would be handed over to the Indian authorities to be flown over to Gujarat.
As most people crossing illegally into the US destroy their travel documents, Indian authorities might have to bring new documents for completion of a formal identity of the four family members.
