The world's first multinational Disaster Victims Identification (DVI) Center has begun to operate in Thailand's tsunami-ravaged Phuket province to identify victims and search for missing people.

The center, staffed with some 60 experts from 20 countries, are using the best and latest technology to identify the bodies of 5,300 victims and continue to search 3,500 missing people, Bangkok Post newspaper quoted Inspector Jeff Emery, commander of the DVI information management center, as saying Wednesday.

The operation comprised an international missing persons team, ante-mortem and post-mortem data collection and a reconciliation unit.

Forensic science and Interpol regulations would be applied in identifying all bodies.

"The timeframe for the operation is unknown. It depends on several out-of-control factors such as how fast the countries transfer the ante-mortem information and the quality of the information we receive," said the commander.

He declined to disclose how many bodies have been identified sofar, saying that the DVI currently had some "positive reports."

Lorraine Williams of the London Metropolitan Police commended the task is very challenging due to its tremendous scale.

Col Kees Kuijs, acting team leader of the Netherlands DVI, noted the strong support from local authorities and communities serves as a major factor in making possible such an enormous task,which had never been performed before.

The operation will be very helpful in assisting Thai authorities identify the tsunami victims, said Pol Col Panaspong Sirawongse, Interpol's head of liaison in Bangkok. He also urged the Thai government to send more integrated forensic experts and police officers to join the DVI operation in Phuket.

Source: Xinhua