[A-List] US-UK imperialism: Consequences

["annewilliamson" <annewilliamson@xxxxxxx>]

Britain Preparing Warehouses For Britons Expected To Die In Terror Attacks
"Mass Fatalities" Expected On British Soil

3/11/03 11:22:13 AM
London Independent

London, England --
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=385305

Industrial-scale mortuaries being sought for mass terror fatalities

By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor

09 March 2003

Ministers are secretly scouring the country for mortuaries to take
thousands of civilian bodies from a terrorist attack after war breaks out
with Iraq.

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, has appointed one of Britain's leading
coroners to spearhead the search for huge temporary mortuaries, such as
aircraft hangers. Richard Sturt, who retired as the East Kent Coroner two
years ago, is touring the country meeting planning chiefs to assess how
they could cope with "mass fatalities".

But emergency planners are criticising the search as too small and too
slow to meet the urgency of the threat.

In his 22 years in the job, Mr Sturt became Britain's most experienced
coroner in dealing with the aftermath of disasters, presiding over the
inquests on the victims of the capsizing of the Herald of Free Enterprise
in 1987, the Deal bombing in 1989, and a big coach crash on the M2 four
years
later. He was also in post in 2000 when 58 Chinese immigrants were found
dead in the back of a lorry at Dover.

The 63-year-old solicitor - a prominent churchman Christian who has held
several senior posts at Canterbury Cathedral - is now about two-thirds of
the way through his highly confidential task, and is to report to Mr
Blunkett
next month.

Mr Sturt's work is being kept secret because civil servants believe that
their revelation would create public alarm and strengthen unease about the
war, which is expected to increase the risk of terrorist outrages in
Britain.

Local authorities began identifying big temporary mortuaries in the 1980s
after the Hillsborough and Lockerbie disasters. But experts say that most
areas have room for only about 100 to 200 bodies, and ministers now accept
that they may have to cope with thousands at a time.

They also accept that a massive explosion could cause widespread
dismemberment of bodies and that space will have to be provided for
"sorting them out" for burial.

Mr Sturt is identifying aircraft hangers and army drill halls as possible
mortuaries. But the impending war and the continuing fire dispute are
making his task more difficult.

West London had originally settled on hangers at RAF Northolt, but these
are now expected to be needed for the war. Other possible sites are being
used by Green Goddess fire engines.

But emergency planners say the Government is moving far too slowly in
getting just one man to do the exercise, 18 months after the 11 September
attacks. One accused ministers of proceeding with "glacial slowness" and
of having "no sense of urgency".

Late last week neither the Home Office nor Mr Sturt would comment on his
search. But the Home Office confirmed it was "doing ongoing work on mass
fatalities".