Bodies of 104 victims of Mangalore air crash identified

MANGALORE: Bodies of 104 victims of the Air India Express plane crash have been identified and handed over to relatives, a top official said today.

"A total of 104 bodies have been identified and handed over to relatives. Fifty four bodies are yet to be identified," Karnataka DGP Ajai Kumar Singh said at the crash site here.

Earlier, Deputy Inspector General of Mangalore Police, Gopal B Hosur had said 115 bodies had been identified so far.

Singh said DGCA officials are yet to recover the Cockpit Voice Recorder, commonly known as the black box, of the ill-fated aircraft, which crashed here yesterday killing 158 passengers and crew. Of the 166 on board, eight people survived the accident.

Asked if the Boeing, the manufacturer of the aircraft, has sent a team to assist the investigation, Singh said he was not aware of it.

The Air India Express flight crashed soon after landing at Bajpe airport here yesterday, after overshooting the runway and plunged down a deep ravine.