231 plane crash victims identified through DNA tests, 210 bodies returned to family

More than a week after the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, authorities have identified 231 victims through DNA testing. Of these, 210 bodies have been handed over to their families so far.

“Till Friday evening, 231 DNA samples have been matched and relatives have been contacted. So far, the mortal remains of 210 victims have been handed over to families,” Rakesh Joshi, Medical Superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Among those returned to their families are 199 passengers—155 Indians, 36 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals, and 1 Canadian. The remaining 11 were local residents who were killed when the aircraft slammed into buildings near the crash site.

At present, 21 identified bodies are still at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. While DNA matches have been confirmed for all of them, the formalities are still pending. Ten families are expected to collect the remains by Saturday morning. Another three will be handed over after necessary air clearance. The remaining eight are linked to pending DNA confirmations of other victims.

Eight of the deceased were earlier handed over without DNA testing as their identities were clearly established. Additionally, three local residents succumbed to injuries during treatment, bringing the total number of ground fatalities to 22.

The crash, which occurred on June 12, claimed over 270 lives making it one of the deadliest air disasters in India’s recent history. Of the 242 passengers and crew members onboard the doomed flight, 241 died in the crash. The lone survivor was Vishwas Kumar, a 28-year-old tech consultant seated near the emergency exit on seat 11A.

The London-bound Air India flight AI-171 had barely taken off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport when it plunged into a medical college complex in the Meghaninagar area. The impact was so severe that many bodies were charred or mangled beyond recognition, prompting the need for extensive DNA testing.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has recovered the black box of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which will be key to understanding what caused the aircraft to go down so soon after takeoff.

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