Ahmedabad plane crash: Bodies of 260 victims handed over to family members

Bodies of 260 people who died in the tragic Air India 171 plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 have been handed over to their family members, an official said on Monday.

A total of 254 victims of the crash were identified through DNA matching, while six were identified through facial recognition, Medical Superintendent of Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, Rakesh Joshi said.

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“I can say that a total of 254 DNA matches were done, all identified and handed over. Six were identified through facial recognition, and they were also handed over. So, a total of 260 bodies were identified and handed over to their family members,” Joshi told a news agency.

He further said out of the 260 bodies handed over, 241 were passengers while 19 were non-passengers.

“241 were passengers and 19 were non-passengers. Out of these 241 passengers, 181 were Indians, 52 were Britishers, seven were Portuguese, and one was Canadian,” Joshi said.

He said it was a challenging task, but the health department and police worked together to complete it within 13 days.

“It was a very difficult task and I won’t say I managed it. It was a great teamwork. We are supported and guided by our seniors and administrators. Not only the health department but also the police department, the corporation, everybody worked. All the departments collectively worked for this challenging situation or disaster. Ultimately, everything was done within 13 days,” he said.

On June 12, a London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a hostel complex of BJ Medical College in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The tragedy claimed 241 lives out of 242 onboard, including former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the investigation into the crash and working intensively on analyzing data retrieved from the black boxes of the Air India Flight AI-171.