Russia plane crash: DNA samples of Kerala couples' kin sent

The blood samples of the parents of the Kerala couple killed in an air crash in Russia last week have been taken to conduct a DNA test to identify the bodies, an official said.

Speaking to IANS on Monday, an official of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's office said that the samples have been sent to Delhi from Kochi. From Delhi, the Russian embassy will take steps to send them to Russia.

Shyam Mohan and his wife K.A. Anju, both aged 27, hailing from near Kochi, worked at an ayurvedic resort in Russia.

They were on the ill-fated flight that crashed in Russia's Rostov-on-Don city on Saturday.

"Blood samples have been collected from Mohan's parents and Anju's mother. The Russian embassy will make arrangements to send them to Russia and the DNA testing would be done to identify the bodies of the Kerala couple, so as to get them transported from there to here," said an official, who did not wish to be identified.

"The chief minister is in contact with the ministry of external affairs to speed this up," the official added.

Anju was working in Russia since 2011 and after her marriage with Mohan in 2014, he also joined her there.

A Boeing 737-800 passenger jet operated by low-cost airline FlyDubai crashed while attempting to land in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, killing all 62 passengers, including two Indians.