OPCW wants to exhume bodies in Douma chemical attack probe

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OPCW inspectors, who have been investigating whether chemical weapons were used in an attack on the Syrian town of Douma last month, are planning the unprecedented measure of exhuming some of the victims’ bodies as part of their probe.

In an interview with British daily Financial Times on Thursday, the head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Ahmet Uzumcu, said the OPCW’s fact-finding mission had already gathered over 100 "environmental samples" since getting access to the site northeast of Damascus on April 21.

The OPCW's mission to Douma was launched after footage from an apparent April 7 onslaught horrified the world and prompted unparalleled strikes on Syrian military installations.

People walk in a street during a media tour in Douma near Damascus, Syria, April 23, 2018. /VCG Photo

But inspectors, in a bid to find further evidence of alleged chlorine and sarin use in the attack – in which medics and rescuers say more than 40 people were killed – are now looking at "ways to exhume and take some biomedical samples," Uzumcu said.

"It is a very sensitive process. That's why they are very cautious. Although our experts have been able to attend some autopsies in the past, this is going to be the first time we have exhumed bodies," he told the newspaper.

The Hague-based OPCW confirmed to AFP news agency that inspectors are indeed looking to conduct autopsies on the bodies, adding that the fact-finding mission "is continuing to explore all avenues for collecting evidence."

This picture taken on April 20, 2017 shows the logo of OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) at its headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands. /VCG Photo

Uzumcu told the Financial Times that it could be a month before the mission publishes its report on Douma. But an OPCW official told AFP that it "is premature to speculate as to when the report will be ready for sharing" with the watchdog's state parties.

The OPCW mission gained access to Douma last month after several delays. Experts however say chemical traces could still be found after all this time, including in the bodies of the alleged victims.

Damascus and Moscow have accused Syrian volunteer rescue workers known as the White Helmets of staging the video footage at the behest of the United States and its allies.

(Top picture: Labels of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are seen inside a damaged house in Douma, Syria, April 23, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP