Ahmedabad crash LIVE: DNA samples of 80 victims matched, bodies of 33 handed over to families

The first meeting of the high-level multi-disciplinary committee set up by the government to look into the Ahmedabad plane crash will be held in New Delhi on Monday.

The panel, chaired by the home secretary, is expected to submit its report in three months.

The committee will have its first meeting on Monday afternoon.

The committee is expected to focus on “formulating Standard Operating Procedures for preventing such occurrences in the future”.

A separate investigation is also being carried out by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is looking into the technical aspects of the crash.

Air India on Sunday said it is working closely with other Tata Group companies to provide every possible assistance to the families and loved ones of the Ahmedabad plane crash victims.

The airline in a statement also said that over 400 family members have reached Ahmedabad and are being assisted by its teams on the ground.

The airline said it has established contact with the next of kin/relatives of all passengers and crew members, and added that the process of handing over the mortal remains and their personal effects to the next of kin is ongoing.

Every affected family in Ahmedabad has been assigned at least one caregiver by Air India, it said.

Air India is working closely with the authorities and will be assisting in the movement out of Gujarat, and repatriation initiatives, where appropriate, the airline said.

The airline remains fully cooperative with the ongoing investigation led by the authorities and will continue to provide updates as verified information becomes available, as per the statement.

The Gujarat government has announced a state mourning on Monday as a mark of respect for former chief minister Vijay Rupani, with the national flag flying at half-mast.

Rupani's mortal remains will be handed over to his family members on Monday morning. His mortal remains will be taken to Rajkot for funeral, the government said.

“Vijay Rupani, Ex-Chief Minister of Gujarat passed away on June 12 12. As a mark of respect, the government has decided that there will be one day of state mourning on 16th June (Monday) throughout Gujarat. The national flag will be flown at half mast on the day of mourning throughout the state…and there will be no official entertainment on the day,” a government communication said.

“Mortal remains of Rupani will be handed over to the family on Monday morning. Remains will be taken to his hometown of Rajkot in the afternoon,” Gujarat health minister Rushikesh Patel told reporters.

Rupani's remains will be kept at his house for about an hour before taking them out for a funeral in the evening in a procession, he said.

Three days after the London-bound Air India plane AI171 crashed in Ahmedabad, authorities have so far identified 47 victims through DNA testing, and 24 bodies have been handed over to their families.

“A total of 47 plane crash victims have been identified so far through DNA matching. Of these, bodies of 24 victims have been handed over to the respective families. These deceased were from Rajasthan and different parts of Gujarat,” Additional Civil Superintendent Dr Rajnish Patel told reporters on Sunday (June 15).

PK Mishra, the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday inspected the Air India plane crash site in Ahmedabad and also visited the civil hospital where injured persons are undergoing treatment.

State government officers apprised Mishra about the sequence of events culminating into the worst aviation disaster in decades that left 241 of 242 people on board the ill-fated AI Dreamliner dead on Thursday.

After enquiring about the health of the injured persons, Mishra went to the morgue area of the hospital.

“I am very pained by the enormity of the tragedy. Everybody is sad. It is our duty to share grief and express our feelings for the victims,” Mishra told reporters.