DNA of 19 victims matched, more remains discovered
Doctors in Ahmedabad worked round the clock to match blood and DNA samples to slivers of charred remains, forensic investigators combed through mangled pieces of metal for human parts, and rescuers cut through the wreckage to pull out bodies on Saturday as authorities struggled to arrive at the final toll of India's worst single-aircraft tragedy.
Officials said they pulled out three bodies from the debris on Saturday, adding to the already staggering toll from the Thursday afternoon crash of the London-bound Air India 171 flight just outside Ahmedabad airport, even as it became clear that people had died not just on the plane or in the hostel it slammed into, but also the neighbourhood.
The government has confirmed that only one of the 242 people on board the plane survived, and eight bodies of people who died at the BJ Medical College hostel were handed over to their families on Friday. In addition, the 15-year-old son of a tea-seller who was sleeping under a tree, Akash Patni, was confirmed dead as well.
Around 20 more people – all on the ground – were feared dead, but confusion reigned on the exact number.
'As of Friday, the death toll stood at 270. Today, we recovered three additional bodies, including one from the tail section of the aircraft. Search and recovery operations for the remaining victims continue,' a police official stated.
But Dhaval Gameti, president of the Junior Doctors Association at B.J. Medical College, told reporters that at least 270 bodies were recovered from the site of the crash.
'The eight bodies handed to the families on Friday did not need DNA identification. They had died after the wall collapsed. But 11 passenger bodies were examined for DNA sampling on Saturday because of the burn injuries. It matched with the blood samples given by the victims,' said medical college dean Meenakshi Desai, adding that the hospital authorities were waiting for four families to give their samples.
Later in the evening, state home minister Harsh Sanghavi said in a post on X that the matching process for 19 victims was completed. 'DNA Matching Progress: 19 DNA samples have been matched so far, confirming the identities of victims,' he said.
Emergency services continued recovery efforts, extracting a badly burnt body from the wreckage on Saturday before cranes were deployed to clear debris. DNA identification is underway to confirm victim identities, with relatives, some traveling to India, providing samples to assist.
The flight carried 169 Indian, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian passenger, along with 12 crew members. The deceased include at least four medical students and two of their relatives who were inside the hostel where the plane crashed. Only one British nation, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived.
Three forensic science laboratory teams were engaged in DNA sample analysis, and so far, blood samples from 248 relatives were collected, a Civil Hospital official said on condition of anonymity.
At the Trauma Centre, the health department deployed five teams comprising around 100 specialists and assistants in orthopaedics, neurology, medicine, plastic surgery, and burns. Additionally, a team of 32 experts and 20 assistants was stationed at the post-mortem room, while 12 experts were operating at the testing facility of B.J. Medical College.
The DNA matching process is being conducted with support from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the National Forensic Science University (NFSU).
Hospital authorities have established strict protocols. A close relative who provided the DNA sample should come in person to collect the body. If unavailable, other close family members may collect the body. If the person who gave the DNA sample cannot come personally, they must send an authorised representative with a proper authority letter.
Some relatives expressed frustration that the process was taking too long. Authorities say it normally takes up to 72 hours to complete DNA matching and they are expediting the process.
Navib Sheikh, who lost four members of his family, asked, 'The doctors are saying it will take 72 hours. The mother of the girl who died does not know that her daughter is no more. We gave the DNA samples on the day the incident took place. Why is it taking so long?'
Sheikh's relatives Mariam Ali Syed, her husband Javed, and their two children, Zayn, 5, and Amani, 4, perished.
State Emergency Commissioner Alok Pandey said the deceased were from 18 of Gujarat's 33 districts. 'A grief counsellor has been appointed for each family to address the mental trauma. The families of the 11 foreign nationals have also been contacted, and they will arrive here by noon tomorrow,' he added.
Dean Desai said, 'The forensic science laboratory is working round-the-clock to match the samples. We hope to release the report of 10-20 samples every day. The bodies of the passengers are being handled in a dignified way.'
Explaining the process, Desai said that the tissue from bones and teeth of charred bodies were taken up for DNA profiling. ' Taking samples in case of a charred body is possible but it takes time. In case of immediate relatives, the results are delivered immediately. For distant relatives, it may take time. But all bodies will be identified and handed to the families for a dignified funeral.'
Throughout Saturday, families of those who died in the crash continued to wait outside the mortuary. Among them was Yash Mistry, a resident of Anand in Gujarat, whose sister, Kinal, was among the passengers on the Air India flight. 'This morning, a police inspector explained the process. We have been given a slip with a number. The hospital authorities said that each one of us will get a call, once the body is identified. We have been told to present this slip containing the number at the counter in the hospital. Once they match the number and our identity, then the bodies will be returned.'
Police officials at the mortuary said that each passenger, whose identity was not known, too was assigned a number. 'The number and the blood sample given by the relatives is matched. This is how the bodies will be handed. We have told the relatives not to stand in this heat outside the mortuary and urged them to return to the accommodation provided by the government until then,' they added.
Aamir, whose brother Irfan Sheikh, a flight crew member, is suspected to be among the dead, said the hospital authorities said that the body would be handed in by Saturday night or soon. 'We are hoping to receive a call from the hospital anytime. Each time the phone rings, we hope this is a call from them. We want to take our brother home at the earliest.'
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