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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Mortal remains of former Gujarat CM Rupani, over 40 victims identified through DNA profiling; Air India contacts relatives of all victims
Authorities at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital had identified 47 victims of the Air India plane crash through DNA profiling on Sunday (June 15, 2025), with 24 bodies already handed over to grieving families, while the airline said it had established contact with the next of kin of all passengers and crew members. Over 400 family members have reached the city, officials said. The mortal remains of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was on board the ill-fated flight, were identified through DNA samples, State Health Minister Rushikesh Patel confirmed. 'The body has been identified, and we are coordinating with the family to transport his mortal remains to Rajkot,' Mr. Patel said. Rupani's son, Rishabh Rupani, had submitted his DNA sample on Saturday (June 14, 2025). The Minister also announced that the funeral of the former Chief Minister will be held at Rajkot on Monday (June 16, 2025) with full State honours. 'Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel informed Vijay Rupani's family as soon as the DNA match confirmation was received,' Mr. Patel said. 'The family will receive his mortal remains from the Civil Hospital at 11:30 a.m. on Monday (June 16, 2025). The body will then be flown to Rajkot, arriving there by 2 p.m. The funeral procession will begin at 5 p.m., and the last rites will be performed at 6 p.m. with full State honours.' 'A total of 47 victims have been matched through DNA testing so far, and 24 bodies have been returned to their families, most of them from Rajasthan and different parts of Gujarat,' said the hospital's Head of Surgery Dr. Rajnish Patel, adding that DNA matching was still under way for several victims. The State Forensic Science Laboratory unit and the National Forensic Sciences University team are working to match more DNA samples. Also Read | What India searched for after the Air India plane crash: A digital reflection of collective anxiety A total of 242 people – passengers and crew – were on board the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner when it crashed minutes after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday (June 12, 2025) afternoon. Only one passenger survived the accident. In addition to those on board, several people on the ground, including MBBS students in a college hostel, were killed in the incident. In a post on X, Tata-owned Air India stated that each affected family has been assigned at least one caregiver to provide personalised assistance. 'The solemn process of handing over the mortal remains and their personal effects to the next of kin is ongoing. Air India is working closely with the authorities and will be assisting in the movement out of Gujarat and repatriation initiatives, where appropriate,' it said. Air India expressed gratitude to the Central and State governments for their support, as well as to the staff at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital and Rajasthan Hospital for their tireless efforts. 'Air India remains fully cooperative with the ongoing investigation led by the authorities and will continue to provide updates as verified information becomes available. Friends and Relatives Assistance Centres remain operational at Ahmedabad and Mumbai airports to support families seeking information,' it said. To support grieving families and streamline identification and logistics, authorities have deployed 230 teams across the country and coordinated with foreign missions, as many of the victims were foreign nationals. Earlier on Saturday (June 14, 2025), Alok Kumar Pandey, Relief Commissioner and Secretary, State Revenue department, had established contact with the families of 11 foreign nationals. 'A total of 230 teams have been formed to establish contact and hand over the mortal remains to the families. We began handing over the bodies today,' he said. Mr. Pandey added that the victims from Gujarat hailed from 18 districts and that the administration was also in touch with diplomats of other countries. He said death certificates were being issued on the spot to avoid any inconvenience to the families. 'Each body will be escorted to its native place in an ambulance with police protection. Grief counsellors are also being provided to help families cope with the trauma,' he added.
Indian Express
17 hours ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Air India crash: DNA samples of 31 victims matched, authorities begin releasing bodies
Authorities have matched the DNA of 31 victims of Air India Flight AI 171, which crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, and have handed over 12 bodies to their families, officials said on Sunday. Dr. Rajnish Patel, Additional Superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, addressed the media from the city's 1,200-bed public hospital, where identification efforts are ongoing. 'The bodies whose DNA samples have been matched are being respectfully handed over to the families,' Dr. Patel said. He did not specify the names of the victims who had been identified. As of 9 pm on June 14, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi posted an update on social media platform X, stating: 'DNA Matching Progress: 19 DNA samples have been matched so far, confirming the identities of victims. Ongoing Efforts: State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) unit team and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) team are working through the night to match more DNA samples.' A statement issued by the Gujarat health department said that for each family receiving the remains of a loved one, a dedicated team of officials has been assigned. This team includes a civilian administrator, a police officer, and a grief counsellor.
Indian Express
19 hours ago
- Indian Express
Air India Ahmedabad Plane Crash News LIVE Updates: High-level probe panel to hold first meeting tomorrow; 19 victims identified so far via DNA testing
Air India Plane Crash in Ahmedabad Live Updates: The high-level panel to probe the deadly Air India flight crash is likely to hold its first meeting on Monday. The committee, headed by the Union home secretary, is expected to submit within three months its report detailing the causes of the accident that killed 241 passengers and many more on the ground, Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu during a press briefing on Saturday. The ministry said in a statement that the panel 'will focus on formulating SOPs for preventing and handling such occurrences in the future'. Status of victims' bodies and DNA testing: As of 9 pm Saturday, the identities of 19 victims have been identified through DNA testing at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, Gujarat minister Harsh Sanghvi said. 'Update as of 9:00 PM- 19 DNA samples have been matched so far, confirming the identities of victims. State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) unit team and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) team are working through the night to match more DNA samples,' he wrote in a post on X. Of those identified, one body, that of Poornima Patel from Dakor, was handed over to her relatives on Saturday afternoon. the bodies of eight victims, who were identified by their relatives and did not need DNA profiling, have already been handed over to their families. Compensation to kin of victims: Two days after the tragic accident involving Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Tata Group, which owns the airline, said Rs 1 crore compensation to people who died on the ground as well. This came after their initial compensation announcement of Rs 1 crore to the families of the crash victims. Air India has also decided to make an additional interim payment of Rs 25 lakh to the families of those who died, and to the lone survivor of the crash, the airline's CEO Campbell Wilson said in a statement on Saturday. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
19 identified through DNA tests: Minister
The identities of 19 of the 241 passengers who died on the AI 171 Dreamliner on June 12, were confirmed by matching DNA samples by Saturday afternoon, 48 hours after the crash. Of these, the body of Poornima Patel from Dakor in Kheda district was handed over to the family members and has been cremated. Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said on X that until 9 pm Saturday, 19 DNA samples have been matched so far, confirming the identities of victims. 'State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) unit team and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) team are working through the night to match more DNA samples,' he said in the post. The samples which matched also include that of Kalpana Prajapati and Alysia Makwana, a British national from Vadodara. The other bodies identified are of passengers from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, the source said. 'Both bodies will be sent to Vadodara on Sunday morning for the last rites to be conducted by the families,' Hemang Joshi, Vadodara MP, told The Indian Express. To avoid chaos and distress to the next of kin, the Gujarat government has requested family members residing abroad to plan their arrival after sending their DNA report , a top source in the government told The Indian Express. 'We have requested the foreign nationals who have not yet arrived in Ahmedabad to send their DNA profile reports from wherever they are, as a reference sample, and we will then cross verify with the DNA profile of the sample extracted from the victim here and then they can come and collect the body, on a stipulated date. They will be given all the documents in a proper file for any future reference,' the source said. There are at least 21 samples expected to be taken from foreign nationals whose family members died in the AI 171 crash on June 12. Kheda District Collector Amit Prakash Yadav told The Indian Express, 'The mortal remains of Purnima Patel, one of the crash victims arrived in her hometown in Dakor in Kheda district on Saturday evening and the cremation was done with full rituals by the Swaminarayan community, which the family belongs to. The Gujarat government supported the community in arranging the final rites.' Patel was travelling to London to meet her son. Yadav said that relatives of one crash victim from Kheda, a Canadian national, Piyush Patel (29), are on their way to submit the DNA samples. Yadav said, 'Piyush Patel's Canada-based wife and 7-year-old daughter are arriving in India to submit the daughter's sample for identification of the body. An expert on DNA forensics and retired IPS officer Keshav Kumar said that in cases such as the Air India crash where bodies are severely charred, the DNA extracted from the molar tooth of the victim, is the best bet to match with the reference sample. Kumar, who is consultant to the Home and Political Affairs department of the Government of Assam, recalls Rajkot's TRP game zone fire on May 25 last year which left 27 dead. 'Some parents had come to us saying our child is missing and we had used the RapidHIT technology to match DNA within 90 minutes from reference samples and exhibits'.
