Ahmedabad, June 17: Five days after the tragic Air India crash that killed 270 people, officials at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital confirmed that DNA identification has been completed for 163 victims, with 124 bodies already handed over to their families.
Dr Rakesh Joshi, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, said the remaining victims would be released shortly, once DNA matching was completed. “We expect DNA profiling of all the victims to conclude by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning,” he stated during a press briefing.
Many of the victims’ bodies were charred or mutilated, requiring forensic teams to rely on DNA sampling for accurate identification. “It has been a painstaking process due to the condition of the remains,” said an official involved in the identification efforts.
The crash occurred at 1:39 pm on June 12, when a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating Air India flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London, plummeted into the BJ Medical College complex moments after takeoff. Of the 242 people onboard, only one survived. An additional 29 people were killed on the ground.
Of the 71 persons injured, nine remain under treatment, while two succumbed to injuries during care, Dr Joshi confirmed.
He also addressed rumors of a rising student death toll. “Only four MBBS students of BJ Medical College were killed. That number has not changed,” he clarified. He added that two doctors also lost their lives—one a passenger on the flight, and the other visiting his sister, a resident doctor at the college.
While grief-stricken families await closure, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other authorities continue to probe the cause of the worst aviation disaster in the country in recent years. Officials are examining technical logs, black box data, and aircraft maintenance records, even as questions mount over fleet safety and oversight.
Authorities are coordinating with local administration and Air India to ensure dignified handover of remains, grief counseling, and assistance to the bereaved families.
