DNA testing of Air India crash victims to be completed within 72 hours
More than 275 samples have been collected from the charred and disintegrated remains of the victims, currently kept at the Civil Hospital mortuary.
Guwahati, June 13: DNA testing of samples collected from families of victims of the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad will be completed within 72 hours, significantly faster than the usual timeline, senior medical officials confirmed, according to reports.
Dr. Saumil P Merchant, Professor and Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at Narendra Modi Medical College, stated that although DNA identification typically takes up to three months, authorities have expedited the process given the scale and urgency of the tragedy.
Reportedly, the testing is being conducted at forensic laboratories in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. More than 275 samples have been collected from the charred and disintegrated remains of the victims, currently kept at the Civil Hospital mortuary.
These will be matched with DNA samples from grieving relatives, many of whom are still waiting for confirmation.
Due to the intense fire caused by the crash, most bodies were burned beyond recognition, making DNA analysis the only viable method of identification.
The ill-fated London-bound Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed just 33 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday, killing at least 241 of the 242 people on board. The sole survivor is currently undergoing treatment in hospital.
The flight was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, one Canadian, and 12 crew members. Several medical students living in a nearby hostel complex, which the aircraft struck during the crash, are also feared to be among the dead.
To support the identification process, a large hall at BJ Medical College on the Civil Hospital campus was transformed into a temporary DNA collection centre late on June 12.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who visited the crash site, assured that forensic teams are working round the clock to identify the victims. He added that the official death toll will only be released once all DNA matches are confirmed.
With inputs from news agency