KLANG, Aug 17 — Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the forensic team needed more time to identify the bodies of the victims of the Beechcraft air crash due to the imperfect state following the impact of the accident.

"Based on the initial report, there are bodies that can be identified and still intact... (but) some need time,” she told reporters after meeting the families of the victims at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) Forensic Department here tonight.

Dr Zaliha said 20 to 30 personnel from the Health Ministry are involved in performing autopsies and identifying the victims.

Asked about how long the identification process is expected to take, she said it depends on the conditions of the bodies.

"We are not sure how long it will take, but we will try to resolve this as soon as possible so that the families can claim the bodies for funeral arrangements,” she said.

She added that the Ministry of Health would assist the families for counselling and emotional support. — Bernama