The project aims to identify missing sea victims through DNA kinship research. Since 2014, 260 relatives have provided DNA, often from sailors but also swimmers. So far, four missing sea victims have been identified. The project started with meetings in Katwijk, Scheveningen, and Urk.
VL 46 Copernicus
Klaas, 83, provided his DNA yesterday. His grandfather, Hein Visser, and uncle drowned in a storm at the Doggersbank in 1926. Klaas says: My mother was traumatized. She was always afraid when I was at sea.
Developments in DNA Research
In 2024, a new international DNA database from Interpol, I-Familia, improved the investigation of missing persons at sea.
Since 1920
DNA profiles of relatives are compared with those of washed-up bodies. Since 2010, DNA has been routinely taken from unknown deceased persons.
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