LA PAZ —

Positive identification of five Japanese tourists killed in a two-car crash in Bolivia appears to be taking time because their bodies were severely burned in the backup fuel-bolstered flames that followed the crash, sources familiar with the situation said Saturday. In the accident that took place on the Salar de Uyuni salt flat on Thursday, the bodies were so heavily damaged that even dental identification has proved difficult, the sources said. DNA matches may be required eventually for identification, the sources said.

The car carrying the five Japanese is believed to have been engulfed in flames for at least an hour after it caught fire in a head-on collision with another car carrying five Israelis, who were also killed. Three Bolivians were also killed in the accident. The sole survivor of the crash, a Bolivian who was driving the car carrying the Israelis, told local media that lots of extra fuel was being carried. The five victims are believed to be Keigo Ishikawa, 66, from Tokyo’s Itabashi Ward, Fumiko Koiwa, 38, from Yokohama, Naoyuki Yasuda, a 51-year-old from Yokohama, Akemi Yasuda, a 40-year-old from Yokohama, and Eriko Kashima, 30, from Sakura, Chiba Prefecture.

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