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.
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Fifty of them turned up at the hospital within hours. We began autopsies, dental examinations and DNA sample collections around 6 pm on June 12. By 4.30 am on June 13, the process was completed for most victims.' The autopsy required doctors from the Departments of Forensic Odontology and Forensic Medicine to collect samples of each victim's teeth and bones, which were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). At FSL, these samples were matched against those obtained from their relatives — the second step of identity confirmation and the gold standard. The third step — fingerprint analysis — could not be conducted since most bodies were charred in the fire that broke out after the crash. Explaining why molars were 'the best bet' to find a DNA sample in this case, Dr Pillai says, 'Teeth can usually withstand higher temperatures than our bodies. The rotation and gaps between teeth are unique to each person, like fingerprints. 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He explains, 'Heat degrades their front teeth. Also, children aged six years and below only have milk teeth. In such cases, we try to extract the permanent molars developing inside their jaws.' The age of minors on the manifest also helped. 'Some of these minors had developed their second molars. So we knew they were between three to six years old. That helped narrow down their identification,' he adds. (With inputs from Aditi Raja)
