Four of the six bodies recovered from the motorbanca Amejara that went missing in the Davao Gulf have been identified positively by their families, according to the Office of Civil Defense-Davao (OCD-11),

The bodies were identified based on marks and personal belongings recovered during post-mortem examination conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation-Davao (NBI-11).

“Each family, gipanguhaan og mga datos, unsa’y naa sa inyong pasahero o sa inyong pamilya. Tanan nga naa, nagtapot sa lawas, mga markings, nunal o unsa pa ba diha. Pag-abot sa cadaver, individually, gi-check,” OCD-11 Director, Ednar Dayanghirang, said.

The bodies were turned over to the families for burial.

DNA samples were collected from bodies that did not match the initial identification information provided by families so they can be identified eventually.

“Just in case, ilubong sila temporary, naghangyo na ta sa city government, kay by law, sila man ang maghatag og support nga temporary kalubnganan samtang i-test ang DNA kung naa’y moabot nga ing-ana nga event nga wala gyu’y maka-identify,” Dayanghirang added.

OCD-11 added that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the City Government of Davao will help cover the expenses for the burial arrangements.

Search and rescue operations continue as nine individuals remain missing, as of this writing.