AHMEDABAD: Days after the horrific AI-171 air crash here, there is still no clear word on the toll and identity of the deceased. While the ill-fated Air India plane had 242 on board, one passenger survived the crash into the campus of the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad.
On Saturday, the president of the Junior Doctors’ Association of the college, Dr Dhaval Gameti, said 270 bodies had been received at the Civil Hospital. However, 272 DNA samples have been collected so far. That figure includes 13 others — nine local residents and four medical students. Who were the 18 other victims (272 - [241 + 13])? There is no clarity.
For its part, the government said the exact number and identity of the fatalities can be established only after the DNA identification process is over.
So far, 80 victims have been identified through DNA testing. Thirty-three bodies, including that of former chief minister Vijay Rupani, have been handed over to their respective families. The Gujarat government announced a state mourning on Monday as a mark of respect for Rupani.
Meanwhile, a high-level team from the Prime Minister’s Office, led by Principal Secretary Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra, arrived in Ahmedabad to monitor the ongoing relief and investigation process.
