Ahmedabad plane crash: Last remains of crash victims begin to reach families

People hold candles during a vigil in memory of victims of the Air India plane crash, in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Saturday, June 14, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI

The process of handing over the last remains of the victims of Air India’s Boeing 787 crash to their families kicked off on Saturday (June 14, 2025), and a total of 11 victims have been identified through DNA testing, according to the Gujarat government.

Two days since the crash, one more body that had been stuck beneath the tail portion of the crashed aircraft was recovered on Saturday, according to Dr. Rajnish Patel, Head of Surgery, at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, who jointly addressed a press conference with Gujarat government’s Relief Commissioner and Secretary, Revenue Department, Alok Kumar Pandey.

However, there was still no official confirmation of the deaths beyond the 241 deaths of passengers and crew aboard the aircraft that crashed into the mess building where students of B.J. Medical College (BJMC) were assembled for lunch, and four columns of hostel buildings, where there have been several deaths.

‘Meticulously slow process’

Dr. Patel confirmed that 11 DNA matches have been verified, and the families of those victims had been contacted. “We handed over one body to family members this morning, with two more to be released by evening.”

He described the DNA matching exercise as a “meticulously slow process” that typically required 72 hours for completion.

When The Hindu asked him about the total number of crash victims’ bodies at the hospital, Dr. Patel deflected the question, saying, “I don’t have that data.”

When enquired about the number of families who had arrived at the hospital to provide DNA samples and claim the bodies of their loved ones, he again said he did not have the information available with him.

Earlier, eight visually identifiable victims were released to relatives without the need for DNA analysis.

To expedite the DNA matching process, Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, held a meeting with officials of the State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) on Saturday.

“Apart from forensic experts from across Gujarat, several experts sent by the Centre are working round the clock to match DNA samples. As soon as the results are ready, they are sent to the Civil Hospital so that families can claim the bodies,” he said.

Reaching out to families

According to Alok Kumar Pandey, Relief Commissioner and Secretary, Revenue Department, the State government had established contact with the families of 11 foreign nationals.

“A total of 230 teams have been formed to establish contact and hand over the mortal remains to the families. We began handing over the bodies today,” he said.

Mr. Pandey added that the victims from Gujarat hailed from 18 districts and that the administration was also in touch with diplomats of other countries.

Death certificates were also being issued to the families on the spot. “Each body will be escorted to its native place in an ambulance with police protection. Grief counsellors are also being provided to help families cope with the trauma,” he added.

Speaking about the condition of the lone survivor from among the 242 aboard the Air India aircraft, Dr. Patel said: “He is a lucky man. His condition is stable, and he can walk and talk normally.”

Airline extends help

A day after Air India and Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran visited Ahmedabad, the airline’s CEO Campbell Wilson met with the families of the deceased.

The airline also announced an immediate financial support of ₹25 lakh to each of the families of the deceased as well as survivors, in addition to the sum of ₹1 crore announced earlier.

The airline’s technical and customer support team was in Ahmedabad’s BJ Medical College. Over 200 trained caregivers were also deployed to support each family in different ways, including access to counselling.

Published - June 14, 2025 10:28 pm IST