In coming days, Rhode Islanders will follow the unfolding news from Brazil with a sense of queasy deja vu -- the rising body counts, the victim identification process, the grieving families, and the assigning (and dodging) of blame.

CNN: We haven't learned from past mistakes

Now after the identification of Ms Longhurst's body police have launched a murder hunt.

BBC: Vanished teacher baffled police

Meanwhile, officials say they plan to collect DNA samples from some bodies and body parts recovered from the wreckage, for identification purposes.

BBC: Dhaka building collapse: Police clash with protesters

He had searched for identification but found nothing on her body.

CNN: In runners' tent and ER, a rush to save limbs -- and lives

Frequently, when a body has been burned, fingerprints are not a viable option for identification, as the skin has burned, he said.

CNN: How authorities identify a burned body

Police said on Tuesday that a body had been found in the River Ely in Cardiff but formal identification had not taken place.

BBC: Ben Thompson search: Body found in Cardiff river

Biometric identification, which works by using the unique characteristics of your body to prove who you are, may be the key to a much more effective system.

FORBES: Why Your Next Phone Will Include Fingerprint, Facial, and Voice Recognition

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said a body had been recovered from the property at about 18:00, although formal identification had not yet taken place.

BBC: Cornwall house collapse: Body found