PHL's NBI ready to help in forensic probe in Japan tragedy

The Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation (NBI ) is willing to help in Japan's forensic investigation of victims in the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on Friday, March 11. In an interview with reporters on Monday, NBI director Magtanggol Gatdula said the Philippines will provide its assistance once it is requested by the Interpol, or the International Criminal Police Investigation. The Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia are the three Southeast Asian nations that can conduct an identification of the victims, said Gatdula. "According to the Interpol, there are only three countries that can conduct identification. We are on stand-by if ever we are requested to assist them," Gatdula said. More than 10,000 people are feared to have been killed by the catastrophe, which is said to be the worst crisis Japan faced since World War II. No Filipinos have been reported hurt or killed in the disaster. A team dispatched by the Philippine Embassy managed to reach Sendai City, one of the areas heavily affected by the quake and tsunami. The initial reports from the team said there were no Filipinos among the casualties of the quake and tsunami. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), there are some 230,000 Filipinos in Japan but most are in the cities of Tokyo and Osaka —both of which are away from the main tsunami danger zones. However, Miyagi Prefecture north of Tokyo — which bore the brunt of the quake — is just 130 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean epicenter. The DFA said that there are some 1,309 Filipinos in Miyagi. Earlier in the day, radio dzBB reported that some 30 Filipino seafarers stranded in Fukushima, Japan, where a nuclear plant is feared to be failing, have been located and sent on their way to the Narita airport already. – VVP, GMA News