Authorities start handing over remains of Air India crash victims to relatives
The Gatwick-bound Boeing 787 struck a medical college hostel in a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after take-off on Thursday, killing 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground.
One passenger survived.
Relatives grieve as they attend the funeral of Shubh Modi and his sister Shagun Modi, both victims of the Air India plane crash, at a crematorium in Ahmedabad, India (Rafiq Maqbool/AP)
Hundreds of relatives of the crash victims provided DNA samples at hospital.
Most of the bodies were charred or mutilated, making them unrecognisable.
Rajneesh Patel, an official at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, said authorities have so far identified 32 victims through DNA mapping and their families were informed.
He said the remains of 14 victims were handed over to relatives.
The victims' families waited outside the hospital mortuary as authorities worked to complete formalities and transfer the bodies in coffins into ambulances.
Most of them have expressed frustration at the slow pace of the identification process.
Authorities say it normally takes up to 72 hours to complete DNA matching and they are expediting the process.
Alongside the formal investigation, the Indian government has set up a high-level committee to examine the causes leading to the crash.
Investigators come out after visiting the Air India plane crash site in Ahmedabad, India (Ajit Solanki/AP)
The committee will focus on formulating procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement on Saturday.
Authorities have also begun inspecting Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, minister of civil aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Saturday in New Delhi at his first news briefing since Thursday's crash.
Eight of the 34 Dreamliners in India have already undergone inspection, Mr Kinjarapu said, adding that the remaining aircraft will be examined with 'immediate urgency'.
Investigators on Friday recovered the plane's digital flight data recorder, or the black box, from a rooftop near the crash site.
The device is expected to reveal information about the engine and control settings, while the voice recorder will provide cockpit conversations, said Paul Fromme, a mechanical engineer with the UK-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
The plane that crashed was 12 years old.
Boeing planes have been plagued by safety issues on other types of aircraft.
There are currently around 1,200 of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft worldwide and this was the first deadly crash in 16 years of operation, according to experts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Lottery results and numbers: Lotto and Thunderball draw tonight, June 21, 2025
THE NATIONAL Lottery results are in and it's time to find out who has won a life-changing amount of money tonight (June 21, 2025). Could tonight's £3.8 million jackpot see you handing in your notice, jetting off to the Bahamas or driving a new Porsche off a garage forecourt? 3 3 You can find out by checking your ticket against tonight's numbers below. Good luck! Tonight's National Lottery Lotto winning numbers are: 06, 10, 12, 13, 31, 58 and the Bonus Ball is 15. Tonight's National Lottery Thunderball winning numbers are: 07, 17, 28, 30, 37 and the Thunderball is 03. The first National Lottery draw was held on November 19 1994 when seven winners shared a jackpot of £5,874,778. The largest amount ever to be won by a single ticket holder was £42million, won in 1996. Gareth Bull, a 49-year-old builder, won £41million in November, 2020 and ended up knocking down his bungalow to make way for a luxury manor house with a pool. TOP 5 BIGGEST LOTTERY WINS ACROSS THE WORLD £1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history's biggest lottery prize £1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline £633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin £625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017 £575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018 Sue Davies, 64, bought a lottery ticket to celebrate ending five months of shielding during the pandemic — and won £500,000. Sandra Devine, 36, accidentally won £300k - she intended to buy her usual £100 National Lottery Scratchcard, but came home with a much bigger prize. The biggest jackpot ever to be up for grabs was £66million in January last year, which was won by two lucky ticket holders. Another winner, Karl managed to bag £11million aged just 23 in 1996. The odds of winning the lottery are estimated to be about one in 14million - BUT you've got to be in it to win it. 3
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Telegraph
Pea, pistachio and matcha cake
This cake is a real green extravaganza. I love matcha and I think the flavour goes well here – with the peas and pistachios, it's a green triple threat. That being said, matcha is a very specific flavour. If you haven't tried it before, I recommend grabbing an iced matcha or similar drink at a coffee shop before trying this recipe, especially as it's a more expensive ingredient. If you don't like matcha or don't want to use it, just leave it out and glaze the cake with a simple icing, then scatter over some pistachios. I use lime juice in the glaze to add a bit of zing, but you can use milk if you're not a lime fiend. Cooling time required Overview Prep time 20 mins Cook time 1 hr Serves 10 to 12 Ingredients 115ml sunflower or vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing the tin 125g frozen peas 200g natural yoghurt 75g pistachios, plus extra for decorating, if you like 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 eggs 175g caster sugar 200g self-raising flour ½ tsp baking powder 1 tbsp matcha powder Zest of 1 lime For the glaze 125g icing sugar ½ tsp matcha powder 1½ tbsp lime juice (or you can use milk), or as needed Method Step Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Step Oil a 1.5-litre loaf tin and line with parchment paper. Step Place 125g frozen peas in a heatproof bowl and cover with freshly boiled water to defrost. Leave for a few minutes, then drain. Step Tip the peas into a food processor, add 100g natural yogurt and blitz until smooth. Step Throw in 75g pistachios and blitz until coarsely chopped. Set aside. Step In a mixing bowl, combine 115ml sunflower or vegetable oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 3 eggs, then stir in the remaining 100g yoghurt, 175g caster sugar, and the pea and pistachio mixture.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Six swans hatch at Druridge Bay nature reserve after five years
Six mute swan cygnets have hatched at a nature reserve for the first time in five Wildlife Trust (NWT) said the new family at the Hauxley haven in Druridge Bay was welcome news after a swan was shot dead weeks ago at another reserve. The chicks' parents set up home in the reserve last year, but failed to breed because they were too young. Alex Lister, NWT bay landscapes manager, said the "fluffy bundles" were a delight and he hoped for more chicks in the coming years. The last resident pair of swans moved on from the Druridge Bay reserve at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown, having lived on the reserve for nine years and raising more than 40 at NWT were devastated after members of the public found a 16-year-old female mute swan with a fatal head wound on the East Chevington nature reserve earlier this month. Mr Lister said: "What great news so soon after the sad news that a swan had been killed at our East Chevington reserve. "It really is lovely to see them back at Hauxley after a five-year absence and if they stay as long as their predecessors, there will be plenty more cygnets hatching over the next few years to delight staff and visitors." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
