Air India crash: DNA profiling of 9 victims completed, first body handed to family

India Today

a day ago

The Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad on Saturday confirmed that DNA profiling of nine bodies recovered from the tragic Air India crash site has been successfully completed. The identification process matched the DNA samples with those of the bereaved families.The officials informed that the first body has now been handed over to the family, following the completion of necessary legal formalities. Hospital authorities said that the mortal remains will only be released after all paperwork is completed.advertisementEarlier, the hospital handed over the bodies of eight victims to their families after they were identified by relatives without the need for DNA profiling, as the bodies were intact and recognisable.
The death toll from the crash of Air India Flight AI171, a London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, rose to 270 on Saturday. The plane crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel and canteen complex in Ahmedabad on Thursday, triggering a massive rescue and recovery operation.All but one of the 242 passengers and crew aboard Air India Flight AI171, along with 29 others on the ground, including five MBBS students, were killed when the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The plane went down inside the campus of the state-run BJ Medical College in the Meghaninagar area and burst into flames.advertisementAs forensic teams and aviation experts continue to examine wreckage for clues, the Centre has constituted a high-level, multi-disciplinary panel led by the Union Home Secretary to probe the causes of the crash.Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu confirmed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered "extended surveillance" on the Boeing 787 fleet operated by the Tata-owned airline.In a post on X, Air India stated it has completed one-time safety checks on nine of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with inspections on the remaining 24 aircraft underway, as directed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The airline currently operates a fleet of 26 Boeing 787-8s and seven Boeing 787-9s.