The majority of the fatalities in the Campanar building fire, which consumed the structure on Thursday, February 22, was due to smoke inhalation. This is the preliminary finding from autopsies conducted since Friday afternoon at the Valencia Institute of Legal Medicine. The first nine bodies arrived that day, and the tenth and final one is expected on Saturday morning, if the firefighters and National Police have completed their review of all 138 homes in the residential complex as planned.
Although autopsies have not been officially closed yet because additional tests and formal identifications are still required, many cases have been able to use the carboxyhemoglobin test. This indicator, detected at elevated levels, confirms death by carbon monoxide entering the bloodstream, displacing oxygen and causing loss of consciousness, which means suffering is avoided in those cases.
While the condition of some bodies may prevent testing for carboxyhemoglobin, it is likely that the ten people who perished in the disaster did so from smoke inhalation, given the dense smoke that enveloped the building from the outset. In such cases, burn injuries observed on many victims likely occurred after death.
Identified by fingerprints
By tonight, forensic police had managed to identify several of the deceased through fingerprint comparison with documents such as Spanish national IDs for the majority, and foreign IDs for others. There is at least one Russian woman among those identified, according to available reports.
When fingerprint analysis was not possible, investigators employed other methods, including genetic identification. On Friday, relatives were invited to visit the Tourist Center to provide DNA samples to compare with material extracted from the bodies. The evidence has been sent to the National Police genetics laboratory, which has given it priority to speed up official notifications to families and allow them to claim their loved ones’ remains for funeral rites.
Legal sources have indicated that a formal announcement of identifications may take several more days, as forensic work and police procedures move toward full completion of the process.
In addition to fingerprints and DNA, cadaver identification specialists from the Central Scientific Police proposed other techniques, including dental radiographs and full-body imaging to determine identity through dental studies or prior surgical interventions with or without metal implants.
Interviews with relatives were conducted to gather medical histories and other potential identifiers such as distinctive jewelry or piercings, among other details.
As reported, the first nine bodies were recovered on Friday. After an initial field survey under a tent set up by the emergency medical unit at the base of the building, they were transported to the Institute of Legal Medicine for autopsies and sample collection. Night fell, the search was suspended, leaving one person missing. The body was found and recovered early Saturday and moved with the others for forensic examination.
The government representative, Pilar Bernabé, stressed that interior work is highly complex due to the enormous debris inside the building, but the plan remains to inspect every area to ensure no other bodies remain. She noted that the number of bodies found aligns with the number of missing persons, suggesting a complete accounting, though it is premature to discuss funeral arrangements until all DNA tests are completed with full certainty.
Officials emphasize that no further bodies are expected to be found beyond those already identified, and the search operations continue with careful, thorough scrutiny of the site.