Ahmedabad crash LIVE: DNA samples of 80 victims matched, bodies of 33 handed over to families
The government has assigned a special team to assist each deceased family, consisting of a senior officer, a police officer, and a professional counsellor
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.
Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, who also died in the June 12 plane crash, was also among those identified.
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As many of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition or damaged otherwise, authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of victims of the horrific tragedy.
“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).
“The deceased were from Udaipur, Vadodara, Kheda, Mehsana, Arvalli, Ahmedabad and Botad districts,” Patel had said earlier on Sunday.
Alok Pandey, Relief Commissioner and Revenue Secretary of Gujarat, said the deceased from the state hailed from 18 of the 33 districts.
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As many as 230 teams have been formed to coordinate with the families, and the kin of 11 foreign nationals who died in the tragedy have been contacted so far.
All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 787-8 (AI171) and another 29 persons, including five MBBS students, on the ground were killed in the plane crash on Thursday.
The aircraft crashed into the campus of a medical college in Meghaninagar moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.39 pm on Thursday.
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Live Updates
- 15 Jun 2025 6:58 AM IST
Rajkot observes shutdown for Rupani
Rajkot city in Gujarat observed a half-day shutdown on Saturday to pay tribute to former chief minister Vijay Rupani who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash.
Rajkot is the hometown of Rupani. From a common BJP worker, he went on to become councillor, mayor, MLA two times from Rajkot West and then CM for two terms between 2016 and 2021.
To mourn his untimely demise, the Rajkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry had on Friday appealed to traders, shopkeepers and owners of commercial establishments to keep their businesses shut till Saturday afternoon.
Honouring the call, businesses and establishments remained shut in Rajkot city till afternoon along with 600 private and grant-in-aid schools.
He was the BJP's in charge for Punjab at the time of his death.
His mortal remains are yet to be DNA matched with his relatives. PTI
- 15 Jun 2025 6:56 AM IST
Gujarat govt to assign grief counsellors to families of victims, says top official
The Gujarat government will assign grief counsellors to families of the Ahmedabad air crash victims to deal with mental trauma, a senior official said on Saturday.
Addressing a news conference, Alok Pandey, Relief Commissioner and Revenue Secretary of Gujarat said 230 teams have been formed to coordinate with families of the victims.
In order to avoid any administrative problem, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation will issue a death certificate on the spot. The patwari of the village can then immediately issue a family relation card so that they do not face any inheritance issue, he said.
Teams have been formed and assigned to individual families with a rank of a Deputy Collector or tehsildar rank officer. Bodies will be handed over to the families and taken in ambulance to the village or district with a police pilot, Pandey said.
"A grief counsellor has been assigned to every family to deal with mental trauma," Pandey said.
Contact has been established with the families of 11 foreign nationals, he said. Most of the foreign deceased are UK nationals.
"One entire team has been set up for the foreign nationals. We have contacted the Deputy British Consul General. Our Deputy Collector rank officer is in touch with them. The MEA (Ministry of External Affairs), Air India are in touch with them," Pandey said. PTI
