11 Air India plane crash victims identified through DNA; families begin collecting remains
The Gujarat government confirmed on Saturday (June 14, 2025) that 11 victims of the Air India Flight AI171 crash have been identified through DNA testing, with the process of releasing remains to families now underway.
At a press briefing at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, Dr. Rajnish Patel, Head of Surgery, stated: 'We handed over one body to family members this morning, with two more to be released by evening.' He confirmed that 11 DNA matches have been verified, adding, 'and the families of those victims have been contacted to collect the remains,' he said.
Describing DNA matching as a 'meticulously slow process,' he added, 'We need to carry it out with utmost care and precision.'
When The Hindu asked him about the total number of crash victims' bodies at the hospital, Dr. Patel deflected the question, saying, 'That is not… I don't have that data.'
In response to another question about how many family members had come to provide DNA samples, he said, 'I do not have an exact number because I'm not involved in that area… and it is meaningless to dig into how many have come and gone… we have 11 positive results, and let us concentrate on that.'
Earlier, eight visually identifiable victims had already been released to relatives without requiring DNA analysis. Dr. Patel noted the DNA matching process typically requires 72 hours for completion.
'It will take nearly 72 hours to complete the exercise of matching the DNA samples. Once they match, bodies will be handed over to the relatives from the post-mortem room,' Dr. Patel said.
'It will take nearly 72 hours to complete the process of matching DNA samples. Once they match, the bodies will be handed over to relatives from the post-mortem room,' Dr. Patel added. He said that one more body was recovered on Saturday, which was stuck beneath the tail portion of the crashed aircraft.
According to Alok Kumar Pandey, Relief Commissioner and Secretary, Revenue Department, the state government had established contact with the families of 11 foreign nationals.
'A total of 230 teams have been formed to establish contact and hand over the mortal remains to the families. We began handing over the bodies today,' he said. Pandey added that the victims from Gujarat hailed from 18 districts and that the administration was also in touch with diplomats of other countries.
The senior IAS officer said death certificates were being issued on the spot to avoid any inconvenience to the families. 'Each body will be escorted to its native place in an ambulance with police protection. Grief counselors are also being provided to help families cope with the trauma,' he added.
The London-bound Air India flight from Ahmedabad crashed into a medical college hostel complex in the Meghaninagar area of the city moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon.
Editorial |Crash and burn: On the Air India Ahmedabad plane crash and Indian aviation
The victims included 241 of the 242 passengers and crew members on board the flight. One passenger miraculously survived. Briefing about the condition of the lone survivor, Dr. Patel said: 'he is a lucky man… his condition is stable and he can walk and talk normally.'
To expedite the DNA matching process, Gujarat's Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, held a meeting with officials of the State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) on Saturday.
Speaking after the meeting at the FSL in Gandhinagar, Mr. Sanghavi said the state government's priority was to complete the DNA matching exercise as quickly as possible.
'Apart from forensic experts from across Gujarat, several experts sent by the Centre are working round the clock to match DNA samples. As soon as the results are ready, they are sent to the Civil Hospital so that families can claim the bodies,' he said.
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