Officials from Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and US National Transportation Safety Board at the Ahmedabad flight crash spot as part of the probe, on Monday. .
Ahmedabad crash LIVE: Govt-constituted panel meets; wait for families continues
Four days on, grieving families still wait for kin's mortal remains
A high-level multi-disciplinary committee, set up by the government to look into the Ahmedabad plane crash, on Monday (June 16, 2025) deliberated on various possible theories that could have led to the country's worst air disaster in decades.
The panel, chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, listened to the opinions of various stakeholders about the possible causes of the aircrash and deliberated on steps to be taken to check future occurrences of any such accident, sources said.
In the first meeting of the panel here, the sources said, the focus of the participants was to analyse the possible causes of the aircrash and how to go about in "formulating Standard Operating Procedures for preventing such occurrences in the future".
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 persons on board crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.39 pm on June 12.
While 241 persons on board the London-bound aircraft died, one passenger miraculously survived. Besides, 29 persons, including five MBBS students, are reported to have died in the disaster on the ground.
Agonising wait for families
Amid the trauma of losing their loved ones, it is a long wait for the families of several victims of the Air India plane crash as they continue to camp here for four days in the hope of getting the mortal remains of their kin.
They were among the first ones to submit their samples for DNA tests on June 12, the day the horrific incident occurred, so that they could be matched with the deceased. They were asked to wait for 72 hours, but the deadline got over on Sunday and the wait seems endless.
Till Monday afternoon, the Ahmedabad civil hospital authorities said 99 victims have been identified through DNA testing and 64 bodies handed over to the victims.
Health authorities here have asked the distraught family members not to panic, while experts said the DNA samples matching could take time, given the large number of fatalities in the crash.
What kin say
"We visited the DNA collection centre yesterday but were told that our samples were yet to be matched," Pooja Sukhadare, a relative of crew member Roshni Songhare, said.
Sukhadare has been here since the tragedy with the father and brother of Songhare, whose family resides at Dombivli in Maharashtra's Thane district.
Addressing concerns of the grief-stricken families, civil superintendent Dr Rakesh Joshi appealed to them not to panic over the time consuming process of matching the DNA samples of relatives with the remains of the deceased.
What experts say
Attempts to contact Forensic Science Laboratory Director H P Sanghvi did not yield any success.
Rakesh Mishra, former director of the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, told PTI that DNA matching is not a tedious task but in the case of this accident the number of deceased is large.
Also, it depends on the condition of the tissue. If the body is very charred, they have to look for a bone, extract tissue which is intact or in a better condition.
"More damaged and degraded samples will fetch less data. In this case, some may have been severely damaged, burnt and those will be challenging, but it is doable. Plus, there will be samples of relatives whose DNA has to be isolated," said Mishra, who is now director of the Tata Institute of Genetics and Society in Bengaluru.
He said that in an accident of this magnitude, it can take time due to the condition of the bodies.
Since people sit very closely next to each other in the economy class of an aircraft, in such cases there is a possibility that tissues melt and get mixed up due to extreme heat. In some cases bodies pile up over each other during the rescue work, he said.
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Live Updates
- 16 Jun 2025 5:06 PM IST
Ahmedabad plane crash: Use this incident as an act of force to build a "safer airline", says Tata Sons chief
Tata Sons and Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Monday urged Air India employees to stay on course in the wake of the airline's plane crash in Ahmedabad last week, terming the accident the most "heartbreaking" crisis of his career, according to sources.
Addressing close to 700 employees and the leadership team across India headquarters and Air India Training Academy in Gurugram, Chandrasekaran said the employees need to show resilience and use this incident as an act of force to build a "safer airline".
"We have to make sure that we stay the course. Be more determined in everything we do. We need to wait for the investigation to find out," the sources quoted Chandraseakaran as saying.
"I've seen a reasonable number of crises in my career, but this is the most heartbreaking one which I never thought I would see," Chandrasekaran said, as per the sources. PTI
- 16 Jun 2025 4:48 PM IST
Ahmedabad plane crash: The most heartbreaking in my career, Tata Sons chief
Have seen many crises but this (plane crash) is most heartbreaking of my career: Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran to Air India staff.
- 16 Jun 2025 4:31 PM IST
Govt committee shouldn't overshadow AAIB: CPI(M)
The CPI(M) on Monday questioned the setting up of a high-level committee by the Centre to look into the Ahmedabad crash, saying holding a "parallel" inquiry when India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the incident will lead to doubts about government interference.
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Saturday said while the AAIB investigation will handle the technical aspects, the high-level committee (HLC) will provide a holistic, policy-oriented roadmap for future safeguards.
In a statement issued here, the CPI(M) said the existing investigation should not be supplanted.
The CPI(M) said as per international protocols and norms set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has commenced its independent investigation into the causes and circumstances surrounding the crash.
The Left party said the AAIB will take possession of the "black boxes" of the aircraft and all other evidence, and complete its investigations in cooperation with international bodies, aircraft and engine manufacturers and other stakeholders.
"Having a parallel high-powered governmental air crash investigation committee filled with bureaucrats will undermine the AAIB investigation and raise doubts about possible government interference," it said. PTI
- 16 Jun 2025 4:22 PM IST
Ahmedabad plane crash: Somber mood on BJ Medical College camous
A year ago, the mood was celebratory as the BJ Medical College and Hospital marked its foundation day. On Monday, the scene spelt devastation and despair – families awaiting identification of their kin killed when an Air India plane crashed into the complex, medics who lost their colleagues soldiering on stoically and everywhere the ruins of what once was.
This foundation day, its 146th, will forever stand out for its stark sorrow. The BJMC, one of the oldest medical colleges in India, has been the epicentre of action following the June 12 crash, which killed 241 people on board and 29 on the ground, including five MBBS students.
While families, their faces grim with grief and anxiety, waited for DNA identification so they could claim the bodies of their loved ones, the environs reflected their state of mind.
Thick layers of soot are still deposited on its buildings, damaged as a result of the crash. PTI
On June 16 last year, many of its students and alumni had taken to social media to wish their college and alma mater a "happy birthday", but grief and chaotic scenes are what is evident on the campus right now, as survivors and family members struggle to come to terms with the crash.
The London-bound flight AI171 -- Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 -- crashed moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon, and fell onto the campus of the medical college in the Meghaninagar area, before going up in flames.
- 16 Jun 2025 2:48 PM IST
11 families receive confirmation about deceased kin: Officials
All the eleven families who have lost multiple members in crash have received confirmation about some of them and are waiting to get the DNA id of the other members, officials say.
- 16 Jun 2025 2:20 PM IST
DNA samples of 99 victims matched with kin
DNA samples of 99 victims of Ahmedabad plane crash matched with kin so far, a government official said. He also said 64 bodies have been handed over to families.
