Quake taskforce in Christchurch

A 10-strong British taskforce has arrived in Christchurch to help identify the victims of the devastating New Zealand earthquake.

The disaster victim identification (DVI) team will assist experts from New Zealand and Australia in the process, which has been hindered by the catastrophic injuries suffered by many of the victims.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police trained in family liaison, a scene photographer, pathologist, odontologist and fingerprint expert are all part of the team.

The Foreign Office said four Britons are thought to have been killed in the 6.3-magnitude quake and a further two are believed to have been injured. A spokesman added that the disaster identification process could take some time.

Two members of the DVI taskforce, including team leader Commander Nick Bracken from the Met, landed in the stricken South Island city on Monday and a further eight of their colleagues arrived on Wednesday.

So far, only one of the British victims’ names has been confirmed.

Gregory Tobin, 25, a chef from Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, had been on a round-the-world trip and was believed to have been working temporarily at a garage in Christchurch when the devastation struck.

Chartered accountant Phil Coppeard, 41, from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, who emigrated to the country in November with his wife Suzanne Craig, was travelling into town on a bus when the tremors ripped through the city earlier this week. He has been missing ever since.

More than a week after the quake struck, many bodies still lie unrecovered beneath collapsed buildings and police said some may never be recovered.

The confirmed death toll stands at 160 but the final tally is likely to be around 240. Authorities have asked families of the missing to remain patient and said some victims may only be identified through DNA testing or dental records.