Ahmedabad plane crash: DNA tests identify 99 bodies, 64 handed over to kin

Authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of the victims since many of the bodies were charred beyond recognition or damaged otherwise after the plane crash on June 12

Four days after the horrific crash of an Air India plane claimed 270 lives, 99 victims have so far been identified through DNA matching and 64 bodies, including that of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, were handed over to their families, officials said on Monday.

 

Rupani was among the 242 passengers and crew members on board the London-bound Air India flight AI-171 that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. His mortal remains were handed over to his wife Anjali Rupani and other family members at the city civil hospital.

 

Authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of the victims as many bodies were charred beyond recognition or damaged.

 

"Till now, 99 DNA samples have been matched, and 64 bodies have already been handed over to the respective families. These deceased were from different parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan," civil superintendent Dr Rakesh Joshi told reporters. 

 

Addressing concerns of grief-stricken kin, he appealed to them not to panic over the time-consuming process of matching DNA samples with mortal remains.

 

"We are trying our best to finish this process as soon as possible. Some are complaining that the results have not come even after 72 hours. I appeal to them not to panic, because this is a very important process with legal implications. We will call them as soon as results arrive," added Joshi.

 

Earlier on Sunday, Ahmedabad Civil Hospital authorities stated that samples of 250 victims, including persons on board the ill-fated flight as well as those killed on the ground, had been collected for identification. 

 

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 persons on board crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.39 pm on June 12.

 

While 241 persons on board the London-bound aircraft died, one passenger miraculously survived.

 

Besides, 29 persons are reported to have died in the disaster on the ground, which includes five MBBS students.