International collaboration in mass disasters involving foreign nationals within the EU: medico-legal investigation of Finnish victims of the Milan Linate airport SAS SK 686 aircraft accident on 8 October 2001.

Identification of and investigation into the cause of death of foreign nationals in mass disasters are generally conducted according to the jurisdiction of the country in which the disaster occurs. However, such identification can be achieved only through co-operation with the authorities of the victims' countries of residence. On October 8th 2001 at Linate airport in Milan, Italy, an MD87 SAS airplane with 110 crew members and passengers on board collided on the ground with a Cessna Citation II jet with 2 pilots and 2 passengers. The plane then caught fire after having crashed into an airport baggage hangar causing the death of 4 other victims among the groundstaff. The accident claimed a total of 118 victims of 9 nationalities. Based on our experience from investigation of the Finnish victims, we explore how current national legislations of the EU member states and varying compliance with existing recommendations may influence the medico-legal investigation of a mass disaster. Legislative measures and further harmonisation of medico-legal procedures in connection with mass disasters within the EU are needed.