More than 1,300 dead bodies flown out of Saudi Arabia this year

Some 1,348 dead bodies of expatriates were flown out of Saudi Arabia for burial in their respective home countries during 2016 with an average of 112 bodies repatriated every month, local daily Al-Madina reported on Monday quoting sources.

Director of the Department of Forensic Medicine at the Department of Health Affairs in Jeddah Dr. Zuhair Bin Omar Al-Waeel said the data about the dead body is thoroughly checked.

He said the department is electronically linked with all government hospitals in Jeddah and dead bodies are verified and documented before they are handed over to their families to transport them back home.

“Through an electronic program, detailed statistics are monthly compiled and submitted to the Governorate,” he said.
When dead bodies remain for too long in the morgue, the department notifies the concerned security authorities to take necessary action, he said.

The electronic application has enabled relatives of dead people to identify them easily and has also reduced the time of keeping the dead body in the morgue.

On criminal cases, the police or the Bureau of Investigation and Public prosecution (BIP) informs the forensic department to do the necessary checks.

Waeel said DNA samples are taken from unidentified bodies.

This article was first published by the Saudi Gazette on December 27, 2016.