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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

IRAQ: UN releases human remains following bomb attack

BAGHDAD, 26 August 2003 (IRIN) - Six days after a truck bomb attack here killed 23 people, the United Nations released the bodies of seven Iraqi United Nations workers to their families, Nicolaas Rademeyer, a United Nations spokesman involved in the investigation told IRIN on Monday. Of the 23 killed in last Tuesday's blast, 19 were UN staff - 11 internationals and 8 nationals.

The international staff who died were from several countries, Rademeyer said in a press briefing near the site of the attack. The UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello was killed in the explosion, in which munitions from the Iraqi Army may have been used.

"It was a very tough time, it was a tiring time, and I can guarantee you we have worked since the explosion without sleeping. There was a lot of pressure on us, but fortunately, we were successful," he said, refering to the time taken to remove all the bodies and human remains from the rubble that was the Canal Hotel.

Investigators are examining forensic evidence that may indicate that the bomber killed himself. It may help them track down who planned the attack, since suicide bombers are generally a hallmark of extremist groups like the Al-Qaeda network rather than former Iraqi Army soldiers.

Earlier on Monday, cars and trucks of relatives picked up coffins of dead Iraqi workers. Many people standing outside a gate behind the United Nations compound complained about the amount of time it had taken to release the bodies of United Nations workers. Some said co-workers saw some of the bodies
of people who died in the blast in the rubble immediately following the explosion. They did not understand why no official word came until Monday.

The Muslim religion requires dead people to be buried one day after their deaths. Six days is way too long for families not to know what happened to their loved ones for sure, said Shatha al-Orfally, a woman who works at the United Nations and whose 31-year-old cousin died in the blast.

But Major Mark Johnston, a spokesman for the 493 Engineer Group of the US Army 1st Infantry Division, which is cleaning up much of the bomb site, said investigators set up a family support centre to help the relatives find out if their loved ones were in hospitals or if they had died.

Some cultural differences were an issue, Johnston admitted. "Today, we have started the process of releasing the remains, and that process is ongoing," he said. "We have Iraqi families in there now that are going through the process."

About 100 family members carrying wreaths and banners supporting the United Nations came to the bomb site on Saturday night. They were not allowed into the actual blast site for security reasons, but the wreaths were laid in the rubble and investigators observed a moment of silence, he said.

Theme(s): (IRIN) Conflict

[ENDS]

This material comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2003