Ahmedabad crash: At least 20 on-ground deaths confirmed; 247 DNA matches complete, 232 bodies handed over
While the exact death toll of June 12 Air India plane crash is still not clear, it has emerged that at least 20 people may have been killed on the ground when the aircraft slammed into a Medical College hostel in Ahmedabad's Meghaninagar, The Indian Express has learnt.
By 6 pm on Saturday, the process of matching a total of 247 DNA samples of the victims with their living family members had been completed, said officials at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. These included 238 people who were on board the ill-fated Boeing aircraft, the officials added.
As many as 241 out of the 242 passengers who boarded the plane lost their lives in the tragedy.
Meanwhile, the process of DNA analysis of samples taken from the bodies of victims with those of their living relatives is still underway, almost 10 days after the crash.
Of the 247 DNA matches, 232 bodies have been handed over to the families. Out of the remaining 15 identified bodies, three families are awaiting the remains of their other family members since more than one of their kin perished in the crash. Six bodies are ready to be handed over while scheduling with families is underway to hand over the mortal remains of another six passengers.
The Indian Express has learnt that of the 247 bodies identified through DNA as of Saturday evening, 175 were Indian, 52 British, seven Portuguese, one Canadian, and 12 non-passengers.
Dr Rakesh Joshi, Medical Superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, confirmed that of the 12 non-passengers whose bodies had been handed over to families, nine had died on the spot and their identification had to be carried out through DNA analysis. Three of the victims were admitted to the hospital in a critical state and succumbed to their injuries later.
On bodies that could be identified without the need for DNA profiling, Dr Joshi said, 'We had handed over eight such bodies to their families. In these cases, the need for DNA profiling did not arise because their bodies were identifiable.'
All these eight persons were those who had died on the ground, bringing the total number of casualties in the Atulyam hostels of B J Medical College and those on the road to 20.
This also takes the estimated death toll to 261 persons, including 241 airline passengers.
Resampling needed in some cases
Meanwhile, The Indian Express has learnt that some families had to give additional DNA samples. This is because initial blood samples were taken from distant relatives, which may have not been enough to prove a blood relation, people in the know of the matter said. There could be other problems with the blood samples during the DNA profiling process, they added.
Dr Joshi said, 'We have done resampling for some families. In cases where a delay was taking place, we asked for additional samples from families. The most effective blood samples to match are between a parent and a child. But in the earlier phase of the tragedy, immediate family may not have been available. Since they came later, we took additional samples from them. In some cases, we were about to take additional samples but before that, we received the news that the body had been identified.'
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