Tsunamis can wipe away entire communities, leaving forensic scientists with no direct clues. In such instances, testing for blood relations is the only beacon of hope. “With slightly more distant relatives like aunts and uncles it goes down to five per cent. “Our inspiration for the project came from tsunami victims in the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake. In such instances, testing for blood relations is the only beacon of hope; but this also has its limitations, because it can only confirm blood relationships between first-degree relatives like children or siblings.

Source: The Hindu August 23, 2016 09:56 UTC