Ahmedabad plane crash: DNA confirms identities of 211 killed in the accident
A week after the Ahmedabad plane crash, the identities of 211 of 270 persons who died have been confirmed through DNA testing, PTI reported on Thursday.
The bodies of 189 persons have been handed over to their families, the news agency quoted an official as saying.
On June 12, Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, which was en route to London's Gatwick airport from Ahmedabad, crashed just 33 seconds after taking off. This is being viewed as the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade.
There were 242 people aboard the aircraft. One passenger survived with ' impact injuries '.
Twenty-nine persons were also killed on the ground after the plane crashed into the hostel building of the BJ Medical College and Hospital, Ahmedabad.
Ahmedabad Civil Hospital's Medical Superintendent Dr Rakesh Joshi said that among the 189 bodies handed over to families, 142 were Indians, 32 British citizens, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.
He added that the bodies of seven persons who died on the ground have also been handed over to their relatives.
Meanwhile, investigating authorities are continuing their efforts to determine the reasons behind the accident, Air India stated on Wednesday.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had mandated enhanced safety inspections of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.
Out of Air India's 33 Dreamliner aircraft, 26 were cleared for service after inspection, the airline said. The checks on the remaining aircraft will be conducted 'in the coming days', it added.
'The fact that 26 aircraft have been cleared gives reassurance in the safety measures and procedures that we follow,' said Air India.
The airline said that as a precautionary measure, it was also conducting checks on its fleet of Boeing 777 planes, another widebody aircraft.
On Tuesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that checks conducted on Air India's 787 fleet had not revealed major safety concerns.
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