How urgent is the collection of dead bodies?

Body collection is not the most urgent task after a disaster from natural hazards. The priority is to rescue and care for survivors. Nevertheless, bodies should be collected and photographed as soon as possible (and preferably before decomposition has commenced), basic information about the bodies should be collected and recorded, unique body codes allocated, and the bodies should be temporarily stored to protect them and to assist possible identification. The earlier this is done, the greater the number of bodies which will be identified. In the presence of an epidemic of highly infectious disease, collection and proper management of dead bodies by trained personnel is an urgent priority.