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New York Times
20 minutes ago
- Health
- New York Times
Heat of Air India Crash Hinders DNA Identification, Agonizing Relatives
The intensity of the flames from the crash of Air India Flight 171 has made the identification of passenger remains a mammoth task, medical officials in India said on Sunday, as relatives of more than 200 victims waited outside a mortuary for a third day. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was carrying 125,000 liters, or more than 33,000 gallons, of fuel when it crashed on Thursday, a full load for a nearly 10-hour flight from Ahmedabad to Gatwick Airport near London. Senior health officials in Ahmedabad told a visiting delegation on Saturday that initial findings indicated that temperatures at the crash site had reached 1,500 degrees Celsius, or 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit, according to two people who attended the briefing. Such temperatures are more than enough to incinerate bodies. H.P. Sanghvi, the director of the forensic lab where most of the DNA samples are being sent, told the Indian news media that the damage to the bodies made collection and testing difficult. 'These high temperatures affect the DNA present in various parts of the body,' Mr. Sanghvi said. 'This process is very complex.' By Sunday evening, only 35 bodies had been handed over to relatives, among an overall official death toll of 270 from inside the plane and on the ground. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Air India Plane Crash: How Are Bodies Identified Using DNA Matching, FSL Director Explains
HP Sanghvi, Director of Forensic Science Laboratory, explains how bodies are identified by DNA matching. On June 12, Air India Flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, had crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad with 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian on board. Among them were two pilots and 10 cabin crew members. As of June 15, 32 victims have been identified, and the bodies of 14 have been returned to their families. Body of Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was also identified by DNA matching on June 15.#fsl #dna #dnamatching #vijayrupani #airindiaai171 #ahmedabadplanecrash #dnamatch #victimidentification #gujarattragedy #airindiacrash #ahmedabadairport #flightai171 #aviationdisaster #forensicidentification #gujaratgovernment #planecrashvictims #gujarat #ahmedabad #explained #toi #toibharat Read More
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
Over 300 DNA samples collected to identify victims
Ahmedabad: The DNA sample collection drive to identify the victims of the AI 171 plane crash concluded on Saturday, with authorities collecting over 300 blood samples. In many cases, multiple samples were taken from the same individual to increase the likelihood of a positive match. Officials said that samples were also received from the families of foreign nationals and crew members. "So far, we are awaiting just four samples; three from foreign nationals and one from an Indian passenger," a senior official said. "As soon as they arrive, they too will be processed." HP Sanghvi, director of the Directorate of Forensic Sciences (DFS) Gujarat, said that a team of 36 DNA experts is working round-the-clock at DFS labs in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Experts from the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) have also joined the effort. "In a crash of this nature, the intense heat at the site often destroys tissues, making sample collection and analysis extremely difficult, DNA extraction might take 36 to 48 hours. At times, we reanalyse samples if the first results are inconclusive," said Sanghvi. Officials said a dedicated DNA collection centre was set up within hours of the crash, with help from medical teams. "The process is not just about identification. There are long-term legal implications. Every step is being documented and carried out with scientific rigour," said an official. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
India Gazette
a day ago
- Health
- India Gazette
"Identification not possible without DNA examination": FSL Director on Ahmedabad plane crash
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 14 (ANI): The Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), HP Sanghvi, on Saturday emphasised the critical need for DNA examination to identify the victims of the tragic Air India Flight crash bound for London, citing that the extreme heat from the blaze that erupted after the crash had made the traditional method of identification ineffective. Sanghvi detailed the ongoing efforts in collecting and processing the DNA samples from both the victims and their relatives for the identification process, noting that the intense heat from the crash had impacted the DNA in various parts of the victims' bodies, necessitating meticulous sample collection during postmortem. 'As all of you are aware of this unfortunate incident that happened in Ahmedabad where the plane crashed... the flame was having a very high temperature, and because of that, the identification of the person was not possible and hence the DNA examination is required and also this high temperature affects the DNA present in the various parts of the body. So, during the postmortem, it was essential that the right part of the body had been identified for the collection of the DNA sample,' Sanghvi stated. He revealed that all submitted samples have been processed at the FSL, with DNA profiles being generated despite the complex and time-consuming nature of the procedure, which takes 36 to 48 hours per sample. 'The forensic experts have also assisted the doctors with the collection of the DNA samples and also assisted in collecting the DNA samples from the relatives of the deceased persons. The sample has been submitted to the forensic labs. All the samples that have been submitted to FSL have been processed... Based on this DNA process, profiles have been obtained. But this process is very complex. It takes a lot of time - around 36 to 48 hours for one sample - but as this process has been completed batch-wise, a number of samples can be done at a time and the profile matching has started and the results are coming up,' he added. He noted that a team of 36 DNA experts at the Gujarat Forensic Science Laboratory, in collaboration with the National Forensic Science University, is working around the clock to match profiles and facilitate the handover of remains to families. 'Doctors and the police agencies are in the process of handing over the dead body of the deceased person to their relatives... This process is the utmost priority and the whole team of 36 DNA experts at the Gujarat Forensic Science lab is there for this task. Also, a similar exercise has been going on at the National Forensic Science University. They also say their experts are working on that, and we are working in collaboration with the coordination in the institute,' Sanghvi stated. Earlier on Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that there was no chance of saving anyone in the plane crash because of the high temperature caused due to the burning of almost 1.25 lakh litres of fuel in the aircraft. Expressing condolences to family members of those killed, Shah said the exact number of deaths will be officially released only after DNA tests. 'The plane carried almost 125,000 litres of fuel, and due to the high temperature, there was no chance of saving anyone... I visited the crash site,' the Home Minister told the media. On Thursday, the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was en route to London from Ahmedabad when it crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport, ramming into a doctors' hostel of BJ Medical College in the Meghani Nagar area in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. There were 242 people on board, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Of the passengers, 241 died in the crash. The lone survivor, identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment. (ANI)
