The first Finnish victims of the Asian tsunami catastrophe have already been buried back home. So far, 79 victims of the natural disaster have been flown back to Finland, most of whom have been formally identified.
In some congregations, private funerals for the victims have already taken place. No official ceremonies are being organised in conjunction with the burials.
Most of the Finns on the original tsunami missing list come from the capital area and elsewhere in southern province of Uusimaa. Several individuals from the city of Lahti were also on the list.
As a result of the Asian earthquake and the tsunamis that followed, 93 Finns are still missing. The Central Criminal Police estimates that most of them will never be found.
The process of declaring an individual dead will be made easier by new legislation that will come into effect tomorrow. Parliament sped up the handling and passage of the law because of the Asian catastrophe.
The new Act shortens the time limit after which a person can be declared deceased. This will have bearing especially if the missing person has been the breadwinner of the family, and declaring the person dead is needed for sorting out the family’s economic situation.
Speeding up the process will make it easier for the family, for example, to collect the deceased person's life insurance compensation, or to settle his or her estate.
