Gardaí to help identify crash victims

GARDA forensic experts are to fly to Brazil to help identify the bodies of people who perished in the Air France plane disaster a week ago.

Both officers, who are from the Garda Technical Bureau, are experienced in disaster victim identification and they will support the authorities in the investigation and assist with the identification of bodies.

Aisling Butler, a 26-year-old native of Ballinakill in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, Jane Deasy, 27, from Rathgar in Dublin and Eithne Walls, 29, from Ballygowan, Co Down, were among the 228 people on board the aircraft when it plunged into the sea in unexplained circumstances, four hours into a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. Two non-Irish Aer Lingus staff also perished in the disaster.