AHMEDABAD: Three days after the deadly crash of an Air India flight outside Ahmedabad international airport left more than 270 people dead, authorities have so far identified 80 victims, including former chief minister Vijay Rupani, through DNA testing, and handed over the bodies of 33.
Giving an official update, State Emergency Commissioner Alok Pandey said 33 death certificates had been issued and bodies handed over to the respective families. To support grieving families, 22 special teams have been deployed to help them process insurance claims and avoid financial hardship.
He said contact has been established with families of all 230 passengers, and relatives ofremaining three foreign nationals are expected to arrive within the next 36 hours.
Confirming the progress on identifications, Civil Hospital Assistant Superintendent Dr Rajnish Patel said, “DNA matches have been confirmed for 80 deceased so far, and families have been contacted. Of these, 33 bodies have been handed over to families.” The victims whose mortal remains were handed over were from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Kheda, Botad and other places.
To assist the bereaved families of the victims, the state government has deployed dedicated support teams for each deceased. These three-member teams—comprising a senior administrative officer, a police officer, and a trained professional counsellor—are working closely with families, providing emotional, logistical, and procedural support. “From 9 pm last night to 1 pm, our teams have worked tirelessly to match DNA samples,” Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Rameshbhai Sanghavi told media.
As many of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition or damaged otherwise, authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of victims of the horrific tragedy.
Providing updates during a press briefing at noon today, Dr Rajneesh Patel said that the identification process is being handled with the utmost sensitivity and scientific precision. “The handover of remains is taking place only after DNA confirmation to avoid any margin of error,” he emphasised.
All but one out of the 242 people onboard, including crew and passengers were killed in addition to at least 29 people on ground as Air India flight AI171- a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London Gatwick, nosedived minutes after take off, crashing into the students hostel of the BJ Medical College in the Meghaninagar neighbourhood.
Amid intensified relief efforts, a high-level team from the Prime Minister’s Office arrived in Ahmedabad on Sunday to oversee the ongoing response.
The team, led by Principal Secretary to the PM, Dr PK Mishra, will remain in Gujarat for two days to monitor rescue, relief, and investigation work. Key meetings have been lined up with Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, DGP, and Additional Chief Secretary (Home).
After visiting the crash site, PK Mishra expressed grief and solidarity. “We came here to witness everything ourselves, and it’s deeply saddening. There’s really no need to say much, everyone already knows. Everyone is heartbroken, and there’s nothing more to ask. But we listened to everyone, and expressed our feelings and solidarity with them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Air India said it is working closely with other Tata group companies for every possible assistance to the families of the crash victims.
Support teams set up to assist bereaved families
To assist the bereaved families of the victims, the state government has deployed dedicated support teams for each deceased. These three-member teams—comprising a senior administrative officer, a police officer, and a trained professional counsellor—are working closely with families, providing emotional, logistical, and procedural support.
