Ahmedabad plane crash: 163 victims identified, 124 bodies handed over to kin

Five days after an Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad claimed 270 lives, 163 victims have so far been identified through DNA matching and 124 bodies handed over to their families, officials said on Tuesday.

Authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of the victims as many bodies were charred beyond recognition or damaged.

“So far, 163 DNA samples have been matched, and 124 bodies have been handed over to the respective families. Remaining mortal remains will be handed over soon,” Medical Superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Dr Rakesh Joshi told reporters.

Of the 71 injured persons admitted to the hospital after the crash, nine are currently undergoing treatment while two died during treatment, said Joshi.

He dismissed reports which claimed two more MBBS students of BJ Medical College, affiliated to the civil hospital, were killed in the crash.

“I want to clarify that only four students of BJMC were killed in the crash and there is no change in that count. Of those two doctors who were also killed, one was on board the flight while another was from Surat and came to the hostel to meet his sister who married a resident doctor,” said Joshi.

He hoped that the DNA profiling of all the victims would be completed by either Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.

All but one of the 242 persons on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were killed after it crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.39 pm on June 12. A total of 29 persons were killed on the ground.