AHMEDABAD: As the aftermath of the devastating Air India plane crash continues to unfold, DNA testing remains in full swing on the second day at Kasoti Bhavan inside the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Authorities have so far conducted postmortems on over 270 bodies, while DNA sampling has been completed for at least 220 victims.
Despite the scale of the tragedy, only eight bodies have been identified and handed over to their families. Officials confirmed that more than 25 ambulances have been stationed outside the hospital to assist in the transfer of remains.
However, identification of the remaining victims hinges entirely on DNA results, which are expected within the next three days.
Samples of nearly 250 individuals have already been collected as part of the massive identification effort. Among the victims confirmed so far are two from Rajasthan, two from Bhavnagar, and one from Madhya Pradesh. The identities of others remain under process as forensic teams work round the clock.
Special attention is being given to the 27 passengers from Vadodara city and district who were aboard the ill-fated flight. District Collector Dr Anil Dhamelia stated that DNA sampling of their families has been completed at the Civil Hospital.
To assist in the coordination, the district administration deployed one male and one female officer each for 20 of the affected families to establish direct contact and streamline the identification process.
Dr Dhamelia also informed that three medical officers from the Vadodara district health system have been dispatched to Ahmedabad for support. Additionally, a Chitnis has been appointed by the state government to assist with on-ground coordination.
In a show of oversight, Gujarat State Health Minister Hrishikesh Patel and Minister of State Jagadish Vishwakarma visited the hospital to inspect the ongoing DNA collection and identification process.
Meanwhile, police have officially registered a case of accidental death in connection with the crash, as investigations continue to piece together the chain of events that led to one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters.