PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Fourteen victims from EgyptAir Flight 990 have been identified, paving the way for some families to finally bury their relatives.
The first group of remains were identified through medical, dental and fingerprint records, Dr. Elizabeth Laposata, the chief medical examiner, said Monday in a statement.Laposata has been overseeing the process of identifying victims from body parts and 6,000 tissue fragments, most measured in just inches. Only 1,300 fragments were suitable for DNA sampling, and final results are expected to take up to 10 months.
The victims whose identities were released Monday were all U.S. residents. Laposata did not release details on returning the remains to families.
A memorial service was held in November in Newport for all relatives, and many already held private services. Officials said it will be months before DNA testing is complete for the remaining victims.
EgyptAir Flight 990 crashed Oct. 31 off the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, killing all 217 aboard. A salvage ship worked for a week in December, raising the wreckage and remains off the ocean floor.
The National Transportation Safety Board estimated 70 percent of the aircraft, including one Pratt & Whitney engine, and sections of the wings, tail and body, was recovered.
NTSB Chairman James Hall has said the second engine could be raised by the end of the month. A civilian ship with an underwater robot was scheduled to begin the task March 18, in a mission expected to last 10 days.
"They did a good job on videotaping and taking pictures underwater, but it can also help if we have it out of the water to get a closer look at it," said NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway.
After an examination of the flight data recorder, the cockpit voice recorder, radar data and small amounts of wreckage, Hall said in November that there was no sign that mechanical failure could have caused the crash.
Hall has disputed reports that investigators are increasingly convinced the jet was crashed deliberately, saying his agency must conduct more studies before they settle on a cause.