‘Handled with utmost professionalism': India on UK news report claiming wrong bodies returned after Air India crash
In a statement issued on Tuesday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: 'We have seen the report and have been working closely with the UK side from the moment these concerns and issues were brought to our attention. All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased.'
He added that Indian authorities are continuing to coordinate with their British counterparts to address any ongoing concerns.
The Daily Mail, a tabloid newspaper published in the UK, cited an aviation lawyer representing several families, who said grieving relatives in the UK were informed of grave errors in the identification of bodies. One family had to cancel funeral plans after discovering that the coffin delivered to them contained the remains of an unidentified passenger, the report alleged.
In another case, remains of more than one victim were reportedly placed in a single casket and had to be separated before burial, Daily Mail claimed.
The alleged mistakes apparently came to light during identity verification conducted by Inner West London coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox, who used DNA samples provided by the families.
The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner had crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, killing 241 people onboard, including 52 British nationals. Another 19 people on the ground were also killed, and 67 were seriously injured.
A preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), released on July 10, said both of the aircraft's fuel switches were found in the cut-off position immediately after takeoff—cutting off fuel supply to the engines and leading to the crash.
The controversy comes just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK, where he is expected to meet his counterpart Keir Starmer to sign a much-anticipated free trade agreement.
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Hindustan Times
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Indian Express
10 minutes ago
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Trump hits India with 25% tariff plus a Russia penalty
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As part of the trade deal, imports from the EU into the US will face a tariff of 15 per cent and will see American goods get 'unprecedented levels of market access', according to the White House. Further, the EU will purchase $750 billion of US energy goods and invest $600 billion in the US by 2028. Siddharth Upasani is a Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. He reports primarily on data and the economy, looking for trends and changes in the former which paint a picture of the latter. Before The Indian Express, he worked at Moneycontrol and financial newswire Informist (previously called Cogencis). Outside of work, sports, fantasy football, and graphic novels keep him busy. ... Read More
The Hindu
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From The Hindu, July 31, 1925: War graves
London, July 30: In the Commons, Mr. Worthington Evans said it was the intention of the Government in conjunction with the Dominions' Governments to establish an endowment fund of five million sterling for the maintenance of the war cemeteries. He proposed to ask the House to vote £50,000 as the United Kingdom's contribution for the current year and a further sum every year, increasing as the cost of the construction work finishes until the capital sum realises the British share of the total amount required for the permanent maintenance of the war graves.
