Ahmedabad plane crash: Gujarat orders to issue on-the-spot death certificates, assigns grief counselor for victim families

Indian Express

20 hours ago

The Gujarat government on Saturday ordered to issue on-the-spot death certificates for the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash tragedy even as 230 teams, including a senior officer, a policeman and a professional grief counselor have been set up to establish contacts with the families of the victims, said officials familiar with the matter.
On Thursday, Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flight, carrying 242 people to London Gatwick Airport, went down moments after it took off from Ahmedabad airport at 1.38 pm, killing 241.
Relief Commissioner Alok Pandey and Additional Superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Rajnish Patel while addressing a joint press conference on Saturday shared that out of total 33 districts, victims belong to 18 districts in Gujarat.
Arrangements have been made to issue on-the-spot death certificates by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), said one of the officials.
Further, sharing more details, Pandey said: 'At least 230 teams, including a senior officer, a policeman and a professional grief counselor have been formed to establish contacts with the families of the victims of the plane crash'.
Teams have been assigned to individual families with a rank of a Deputy Collector or tehsildar rank officer. Bodies will be handed over to the families and taken in ambulances to the village or district with a police pilot, Pandey said.
'A grief counsellor has been assigned to every family to deal with mental trauma,' Pandey said.
'Also, instructions have been issued at the village level to issue the family relation card to the families to avoid succession issues,' Pandey said.
'A team from the birth and death certificate department has been stationed at the Civil hospital to issue the death certificates to the families on the basis of the DNA report for a seamless and immediate process,' Ahmedabad Municipal commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani told this paper.
The village Talati (revenue officer) has been directed to issue the Inheritance Succession Certificate to the family members to avoid any inconvenience, said a government official.
By Saturday evening, DNA samples of a total of eleven deceased were successfully matched, Additional Superintendent Rajnish Patel said.
The families of the 11 foreign nationals have been contacted through their respective embassies, Pandey added.
'Contacts have been established with the families of the eleven foreign nationals who will reach here Sunday afternoon,' the relief commissioner added. 'Our team will accompany the family members and provide them with all kinds of assistance,' the official added.