Ahmedabad, June 17 – Five days after the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, authorities have confirmed the identities of 135 victims through DNA testing. So far, the remains of 101 individuals have been handed over to their families, officials said on Tuesday.
The devastating crash, which occurred on June 12, claimed 270 lives. Many of the victims were severely burnt, making identification through conventional means impossible. Forensic teams have been relying on DNA samples to establish the identities of the deceased.
Dr. Rakesh Joshi, Medical Superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, told reporters, “As of Tuesday morning, DNA samples of 135 individuals have been matched. We have handed over 101 bodies to their families. Among these, five victims were not on the aircraft.”
He added that the identified victims were from various regions including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Diu. Dr. Joshi expressed hope that the DNA matching process for all remaining victims would be completed by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.
The ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had taken off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39 PM on Thursday, bound for London. Within minutes, it crashed into the premises of a nearby medical college.
Out of the 242 people on board, only one survived. Additionally, 29 people on the ground were also killed in the incident, including five MBBS students present at the college campus.
The authorities are continuing their efforts to provide closure to grieving families while investigating the causes behind one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters in recent history.
