Air India plane crash: A week on, 215 victims identified through DNA tests; 198 bodies handed over to kin

A week after 270 people died in the Ahmedabad plane crash, the identity of 215 victims has been ascertained so far through DNA matching, and the mortal remains of 198 of them were handed over to their families, an official said on Thursday.

The London-bound Air India flight AI-171 carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. All but one on board the plane died along with nearly 29 on the ground when the aircraft smashed into a medical complex in Meghaninagar area of the city shortly after its take-off.

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


"So far, 215 DNA samples have matched, while 198 bodies were handed over to the respective families," Ahmedabad Civil Hospital's medical superintendent Dr Rakesh Joshi told reporters.

Of these 198 victims, 149 were Indians, seven Portuguese nationals, 32 British nationals and one Canadian. The mortal remains of nine persons who were on the ground have also been handed over to relatives, Joshi said.

Six of the injured persons are still admitted in the hospital and the health condition of all of them is stable, he said.