An aircraft prepares to conduct the search and rescue operation of the Chilean Air Force plane that vanished over the Antarctic, at the Chabunco air base in Chile, Dec. 11, 2019. (Agencia Uno via Xinhua)
"Ten victims were identified and it was possible thanks to DNA samples provided by family members, which were compared with the remains that were retrieved from the plane wreck," said the SML.
SANTIAGO, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chile's Medico-Legal Service (SML) has identified the remains of 10 of the 38 victims of the military plane that went missing over the Antarctic in December, it said Friday in a statement.
"Ten victims were identified and it was possible thanks to DNA samples provided by family members, which were compared with the remains that were retrieved from the plane wreck," said the SML.
The findings have already been delivered to the families of those identified, according to the statement.
The Chilean Air Force has recovered pieces of the Hercules C-130 plane, which vanished on Dec. 9, though it has yet to locate the site of the accident.
The aircraft was en route to the President Eduardo Frei Montalva Antarctic Air Base after taking off from the Chabunco Air Base in the southern city of Punta Arenas, on a logistical support mission. There were 21 passengers and 17 crew members on board.
The air force lost contact with the plane when it was some 700 kilometers from Punta Arenas and 500 kilometers from its destination.
On Friday, the air force said it would continue its search for the wreckage with international help. ■
