31 victims of Ahmedabad plane crash identified after DNA test

Ahmedabad, June 15: Authorities have identified 31 victims of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad through DNA testing and 12 families have claimed the mortal remains so far, an official said on Sunday.

The process of DNA matching of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was also underway, Dr Rajnish Patel, professor of surgery at the government-run B J Medical College said.

Officials earlier said that as many as 230 teams were formed to coordinate with the victims' families and the kin of 11 foreign nationals who died in the crash has been contacted.

Alok Pandey, Relief Commissioner and Revenue Secretary of Gujarat, said the deceased from the state hailed from 18 of the 33 districts.

Doctors, on Saturday, said around 270 bodies have been brought to the hospital from the air crash site so far.

The victims included 241 of the 242 passengers and crew members on board the London-bound flight. Additionally, another 29 persons, including five MBBS students, on the ground were killed in the plane crash on Thursday.

The aircraft came down moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport before falling inside the nearby campus of the Medical College in Meghaninagar area and going up in flames.

As many of the bodies are burnt beyond recognition or damaged otherwise, authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of the victims.

In order to expedite the DNA matching process, Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi held a meeting with the officials of the state Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) on Saturday.

“Apart from forensic experts from all over Gujarat, several experts sent by the Centre are working round the clock to match DNA samples. As soon as the results come, we send them to the civil hospital so that families can claim the bodies,” he told reporters.

- With inputs from PTI