Of the 270 victims, 215 have been identified through DNA profiling. Of these, the remains of 198 individuals have been handed over to their grieving families, marking a painful step forward in one of India’s worst aviation disasters in recent memory.
THE NEWS DOSE DESK/AGENCIES
Ahmedabad/Chandigarh, June 19
A week after the catastrophic crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, officials confirmed that the identities of 215 of the 270 victims have been established through DNA profiling. Of these, the remains of 198 individuals have been handed over to their grieving families, marking a painful step forward in one of India’s worst aviation disasters in recent memory.
The London-bound Boeing aircraft, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed into a multi-storey medical complex in the densely populated Meghaninagar locality just minutes after take-off on June 12. The fiery crash claimed the lives of all but one passenger onboard. In a cruel twist, 29 residents and workers on the ground were also killed as the plane tore through the building, taking the official death toll to 270.
Many of the victims’ bodies were burned beyond recognition, prompting the authorities to undertake a painstaking process of DNA analysis to confirm identities. The Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad has become the centre of this massive identification and repatriation effort.
“So far, we have received 215 positive DNA matches,” Dr Rakesh Joshi, the medical superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, told reporters on Thursday. “Of these, we have handed over the bodies of 198 victims to their families. The rest are in the final stages of documentation and clearance.”
Among those whose remains have been returned, 149 were Indian nationals, while the rest included 32 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. The crash has drawn international attention not only for its scale but also for its impact on multiple countries whose citizens were on board.
Additionally, the remains of nine individuals who were on the ground when the aircraft crashed have also been identified and handed over to their next of kin. These victims include hospital staff, patients, and nearby residents who were caught in the sudden blaze and explosion caused by the crash.
While most suffered instant fatalities, a few survivors had initially been pulled from the rubble and taken to nearby hospitals. “Six injured persons are still undergoing treatment at Civil Hospital,” Dr Joshi said. “Thankfully, their condition is now stable, and they are showing steady improvement.”
Officials acknowledged that the scale and nature of the tragedy have made the identification process deeply complex. A dedicated forensic team has been working around the clock, matching samples sent from bereaved families across India and abroad with remains retrieved from the crash site.
Meanwhile, a high-level aviation safety inquiry is underway to determine the cause of the crash. Preliminary reports suggest a critical engine malfunction shortly after takeoff; however, a definitive conclusion will only emerge after a detailed analysis of the flight data recorders and cockpit voice recordings, both of which have been recovered.
The incident has sparked intense scrutiny of aircraft safety checks, emergency response protocols, and residential zoning near airport flight paths. International civil aviation authorities have expressed concern over the ground fatalities, a rarity in commercial aviation disasters.
For now, the focus remains on bringing closure to the families of the deceased. Grief has gripped communities from Gujarat to London, Lisbon to Toronto — all bound by the pain of losing loved ones in a crash that has left a deep scar on the nation’s collective conscience.
Memorial services are being planned in several cities, and government officials have pledged compensation and support to both the families of the deceased and the survivors. Yet, for hundreds of families, the final journey home for their loved ones has only just begun.
