DNA tests identify 231 Ahmedabad plane crash victims

Over a week after 270 people were killed in the Ahmedabad plane crash, 231 victims have been identified through DNA tests, and the mortal remains of 210 of them were handed over to their families, a health official said on Friday. Authorities are carrying out DNA matching to establish the identity of the victims, as several bodies were charred beyond recognition or damaged.(Reuters)
A London-bound Air India flight AI-171 carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. All but one on board the plane died along with nearly 29 on the ground when the aircraft smashed into a medical complex in Meghaninagar area of the city shortly after its take-off.
Authorities are carrying out DNA matching to establish the identity of the victims, as several bodies were charred beyond recognition or damaged.
"Till Friday evening, 231 DNA samples have been matched and relatives have been contacted. So far, the mortal remains of 210 victims have been handed over to families," Medical Superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Rakesh Joshi said.
The 210 victims comprise 166 Indians, 36 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian, he said.
Of the 166 Indians, a total of 155 were on board the ill-fated aircraft, Joshi informed.
The Indian victims who were identified so far belonged to various parts of the country, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Diu and Nagaland, he said.
The state government had earlier said that samples of 250 victims, including persons on board the ill-fated flight as well as those killed on the ground, were collected for identification.

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