AHMEDABAD: No official death toll has been declared yet in the AI-171 crash, but a civil hospital doctor on Saturday confirmed receiving 270 bodies.
The Air India flight carried 242 passengers—only one, Vishwas, survived. So far, identities of four doctors and nine civilians have been confirmed, while 272 DNA samples have been collected, indicating 18 remain untraced.
As the government continues to withhold an official death toll in the Ahmedabad plane crash, discrepancies have begun to emerge. On Saturday, Dr. Dhaval Gameti of Civil Hospital revealed to the media that 270 bodies had been Recived — a figure that sharply contrasts with the official silence.
This raises serious questions, considering the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carried 242 passengers and crew, including 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian.
Adding to the toll, at least 13 local residents, including four medical students, died when the aircraft came down in a densely populated area of Ahmedabad.
Even if Dr. Gameti’s figure of 270 is accurate, there remains no official clarification on 16 additional deaths, sparking further concern.
Sources within the B.J. Medical Campus suggest some doctors and workers of hostel may be missing, and some bodies are believed to have been moved for post-mortem without confirmation.
Insiders allege attempts are being made to suppress information regarding casualties among doctors and campus residents.
When questioned about the number of doctors who died, B.J. Medical Dean Dr Meenakshi Parikh declined to comment. “I will only provide updates about hostel accommodation, nothing beyond that,” she said.
However, the government later clarified the death toll in the plane crash, stating that the exact number of fatalities will only be confirmed after the DNA identification process is complete.
Meanwhile, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has begun its formal probe into the crash.
