Latest news with #Britons'
Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Remains from AI crash belongs to strangers: UK families
London: British families grieving after the Air India disaster have discovered that the remains of their loved ones have been wrongly identified before repatriation, according to an aviation lawyer representing them. Relatives of one victim had to abandon funeral plans after being informed that their coffin contained the body of an unknown passenger. In another case, the 'commingled' remains of more than one person killed in the crash were mistakenly placed in the same casket and had to be separated before the interment could go ahead, the Daily Mail reported. The news came before the start of a two-day state visit to London by India's prime minister on Wednesday. Narendra Modi will meet his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, to sign a landmark free trade agreement between India and the UK. The mistakes emerged when the senior coroner for London Inner West, Dr Fiona Wilcox, sought to verify the repatriated Britons' identities by matching their DNA with samples provided by the families, the Mail reported. A London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on 12 June, killing 241 people onboard, of whom 52 were returning Britons. Another 19 people died on the ground and 67 were seriously injured. A preliminary report found the plane's fuel switches had been moved to cut-off, deepening the mystery of what happened and leaving families distressed and seeking answers. The report from India's aircraft accident investigation bureau, published on 10 July, said both of the plane's fuel switches moved to the cut-off position immediately after takeoff, stopping fuel supply to the engines. While some of the dead were cremated or buried in India, the remains of at least 12 victims had been repatriated, said James Healy-Pratt, an aviation lawyer representing many of the British families. He said he was expecting Starmer to raise these issues with Modi this week at their meeting in London. 'The families deserve urgent answers and assurances about the whereabouts of their loved ones,' said Healy-Pratt, who told the Mail he was looking into what had happened during the identification process. 'I've been sitting down in the homes of these lovely British families over the last month, and the first thing they want is their loved ones back. But some of them have got the wrong remains and they are clearly distraught over this. It has been going on for a couple of weeks [and] I think these families deserve an explanation.' He said while the family who received the 'commingled' remains had been able to have them separated to hold a funeral service, the second family had been left 'in limbo'.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Ahmedabad plane crash: ‘Established protocols' followed for identifying victims, says India after U.K. media report on families receiving wrong bodies
The Indian government is working closely with U.K. authorities to 'address concerns' raised by an aviation lawyer about families bereaved after the June 12 Ahmedabad Air India crash, receiving wrongly identified last remains, including in one case where remains of more than one person were placed in the same casket. British newspaper Daily Mail reported that relatives of one victim had to abandon funeral plans after being informed that their coffin contained the body of an unknown passenger. Also Read | Families of 47 victims of Air India 171 crash victims receive interim payout; lawyers warn against forgoing rights for full compensation In another case, the 'commingled' remains of more than one person killed in the crash were mistakenly placed in the same casket and had to be separated before the burial could go ahead. 'In the wake of the tragic crash, the concerned authorities had carried our identification of victims as per established protocols and technical requirements. All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased. We are continuing to work with the U.K. authorities on addressing any concerns related to the issue,' Randhir Jaiswal, Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs posted on X. Daily Mail quoted James Healy-Pratt, an aviation lawyer representing many of the British families say saying, 'some have got the wrong remains and they are clearly distraught over this. It has been going on for a couple of weeks [and] I think these families deserve an explanation.' Also Read | Air India Ahmedabad plane crash victims: Tales of grief and loss The mix up emerged when the Inner West London coroner Dr. Fiona Wilcox sought to verify the repatriated Britons' identities by matching their DNA with samples provided by the families, the Daily Mail reported. There were 260 lives lost in the Boeing 787-8 crash. 241 out of the 242 aboard the flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick were killed 32 seconds after take off. These included 181 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian.
India Today
2 days ago
- India Today
Wrong bodies of Air India crash victims reached families in UK
At least two families of Air India crash victims in the UK received the wrong bodies, according to the lawyer representing them. Sources in India said the bodies were sent in sealed coffins after DNA sampling by a government hospital in Ahmedabad, and the airline had no role in the mix-up."Remains of the crash victims were wrongly identified and flown to the UK," a lawyer of Keystone Law, representing the families, told India Today mix-up was revealed when the coroner in London attempted to verify the remains of the deceased people by matching their DNA, the lawyer added. "One family had to abandon their funeral plans after being told by the coroner that the coffin contained the body of an unknown person and not that of their family member," said the family received the remains of their family members mixed with the remains of another passenger, with the remains of both the victims placed in the same coffin, according to the lawyer."The family had to get the remains of the two passengers separated before carrying out the funeral of their family member," the lawyer told India Today TV. "One family was left with no one to bury after realising that they had received the wrong remains."The crash of Gatwick-bound AI171 in Ahmedabad on June 12 killed 241 people on board. There were 53 British nationals among those killed in the air crash, according to a BBC Daily Mail reported the funerals of several British citizens were carried out in India, while the mortal remains of 12 passengers were sent to the remains were handed over to the families after DNA tests were conducted at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital as most of the bodies were charred beyond told India Today Digital that the remains were handed over by the government hospital in sealed coffins to the next of kin, and Air India had no role in it other than facilitating the transfer and supporting the bereaved families."The Ahmedabad hospital called up the relatives for DNA samples and handed over the sealed coffins to them, while Kenyons International Emergency Services, an agency hired by Air India, supported the bereaved relatives in the process," the source said."We are working on establishing the chain of events about how the bodies of the passengers were recovered and identified," the lawyer told India Today TV, adding that an enquiry had been sought into the mix-up in the receipt of the remains was revealed when Inner West London coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox sought to verify the repatriated Britons' identities by matching their DNA with samples provided by the families."While some victims were either speedily cremated or buried in India, in accordance with their religious beliefs, the remains of at least 12 have been repatriated," aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt, who represents many of the British families, told The Daily is currently helping British families by uncovering the full truth about the crash and making sure they receive fair compensation through the courts, according to the FAMILIES RECEIVED WRONG REMAINS AND DESERVE ANSWERS: HEALY-PRATTHealy-Pratt is now currently looking into the reportedly botched identification process."I've been sitting down in the homes of these lovely British families over the last month, and the first thing they want is their loved ones back," the lawyer told the Mail."But some of them have got the wrong remains, and they are clearly distraught over this. It has been going on for a couple of weeks (and) I think these families deserve an explanation," the news outlet quoted Healy-Pratt as the family who received mixed remains managed to have them separated and proceed with a funeral, he said the other family — referred to as Family X — has been left in X have no-one to bury because it was the wrong person in their casket. And if it isn't their relative, the question is, who is it in that coffin? Presumably it's another passenger and their relatives have been given the wrong remains," he told the lawyer said he is now trying to establish the precise chain of events in the recovery and identification process, beginning when the bodies were pulled from the jet's smouldering trusted officials to handle the process properly and ensure the containers were labelled Taju, a grieving son who lost three family members in the plane crash, said, "Nobody looked at the remains. We weren't allowed to."Taju, from Blackburn, lost his London-based parents, Adam, 72, and Hasina, 70. His parents were travelling with their son-in-law Altafhusen Patel, 51, who also died."They just said, "This is your mother or father", and gave us a paper label with an ID number on it. We had to take their word for it. It's horrific that this could have happened, but what could anyone do?," Taju was quoted as saying by The Daily was told of the mix-up by a police liaison officer. He takes comfort from the fact that his parents and brother-in-law were not involved in the confusion because they were buried quickly in India, The Daily Mail INDIA PLANE CRASHED IN JUNEThe ill-fated Air India flight bound for London's Gatwick Airport, carrying 242 passengers and crew members, crashed on a hostel of medical students near Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel International Airport on June one passenger survived, the death toll stood at the preliminary report out, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) probe is now focusing on the analysis of data retrieved from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) - together known as the black box - and evidence from the wreckage site.- EndsTune InMust Watch
7NEWS
3 days ago
- General
- 7NEWS
Air India crash: Victims' grieving families sent the wrong bodies in distressing repatriation blunders
Grieving families of British Air India crash victims have been dealt a distressing new blow after a series of repatriation blunders saw them sent the wrong bodies, not those of their loved ones. The family of one victim had to call off their funeral after being told the coffin they were given had the remains of someone else, according to the Daily Mail UK. Another family was given 'co-mingled' remnants of more than one person in their casket so a process of separating the remains had to be undertaken before the funeral went ahead. The fiasco has added to the pain of families trying to farewell loved ones who were on board the doomed flight which took off from India's Ahmedabad Airport on its way to London before crashing about 30 seconds after take-off and killing 242 passengers and crew in on June 12. The repatriation mistakes were uncovered during a verification process by Inner West London coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox who tried to match the remains of the repatriated Britons' with DNA samples provided by the families. It is understood the remains of at least 12 of the 52 British victims have so far been repatriated and there are fears more errors could be uncovered. A number of other crash victims were cremated or buried in India. Aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt who represents some of the British families said he was trying to track what led to the repatriation process being so badly botched. 'I've been sitting down in the homes of these lovely British families over the last month, and the first thing they want is their loved ones back,' he told the Mail. 'But some of them have got the wrong remains and they are clearly distraught over this. It has been going on for a couple of weeks (and) I think these families deserve an explanation.' While one family had been able to hold a funeral, another, which he calls Family X had not. 'Family X have no-one to bury because it was the wrong person in their casket. And if isn't their relative, the question is, who is it in that coffin? Presumably it's another passenger and their relatives have been given the wrong remains. 'The coroner also has a problem because she has an unidentified person in her jurisdiction.' The process of identification for the crash victims has not been smooth, with one relative previously raising a 'lack of transparency and oversight in the identification and handling of remains'. Sniffer dogs, high tech search equipment and local volunteers combed the plane wreckage after the fiery crash, with the bodies of many victims so badly burnt or maimed they had to be identified by DNA samples or dental records. Indian authorities claimed DNA tests had confirmed the identities of all 260 fatalities on June 28. It is understood an inquiry is underway into the misidentifications and the issue is expected to be raised when UK Prime Minister during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to the Britain next week. A government spokesperson told the Daily Mail that formal identification of bodies was a matter for the Indian authorities. 'We understand that this is an extremely distressing time for the families, and our thoughts remain with them.'
Perth Now
3 days ago
- General
- Perth Now
Bungles see Air India victims' families sent wrong bodies
Grieving families of British Air India crash victims have been dealt a distressing new blow after a series of repatriation blunders saw them sent the wrong bodies, not those of their loved ones. The family of one victim had to call off their funeral after being told the coffin they were given had the remains of someone else, according to the Daily Mail UK. Another family was given 'co-mingled' remnants of more than one person in their casket so a process of separating the remains had to be undertaken before the funeral went ahead. Investigative officials at the site of Air India crash. Credit: Ritesh Shukla / Getty Images The fiasco has added to the pain of families trying to farewell loved ones who were on board the doomed flight which took off from India's Ahmedabad Airport on its way to London before crashing about 30 seconds after take-off and killing 242 passengers and crew in on June 12. The repatriation mistakes were uncovered during a verification process by Inner West London coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox who tried to match the remains of the repatriated Britons' with DNA samples provided by the families. It is understood the remains of at least 12 of the 52 British victims have so far been repatriated and there are fears more errors could be uncovered. A number of other crash victims were cremated or buried in India. Aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt who represents some of the British families said he was trying to track what led to the repatriation process being so badly botched. 'I've been sitting down in the homes of these lovely British families over the last month, and the first thing they want is their loved ones back,' he told the Mail. 'But some of them have got the wrong remains and they are clearly distraught over this. It has been going on for a couple of weeks (and) I think these families deserve an explanation.' While one family had been able to hold a funeral, another, which he calls Family X had not. 'Family X have no-one to bury because it was the wrong person in their casket. And if isn't their relative, the question is, who is it in that coffin? Presumably it's another passenger and their relatives have been given the wrong remains. 'The coroner also has a problem because she has an unidentified person in her jurisdiction.' The process of identification for the crash victims has not been smooth, with one relative previously raising a 'lack of transparency and oversight in the identification and handling of remains'. Sniffer dogs, high tech search equipment and local volunteers combed the plane wreckage after the fiery crash, with the bodies of many victims so badly burnt or maimed they had to be identified by DNA samples or dental records. Indian authorities claimed DNA tests had confirmed the identities of all 260 fatalities on June 28. Authorities used DNA samples and dental records to identify victims. Credit: Unknown / X formerly Twitter It is understood an inquiry is underway into the misidentifications and the issue is expected to be raised when UK Prime Minister during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to the Britain next week. A government spokesperson told the Daily Mail that formal identification of bodies was a matter for the Indian authorities. 'We understand that this is an extremely distressing time for the families, and our thoughts remain with them.'
