A shocking revelation has come to the fore as the mortal remains of victims of the Air India 171 are being investigated. Coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox, in her report, mentioned “dangerously high” levels of toxins had been used to preserve the bodies of the deceased, which, when opened, were exposed to all workers in the mortuary.
She states, “Hazard presented to all mortuary users from the method in which bodies of deceased persons being repatriated to the UK were preserved and returned.”
As evidence, the report notes, “Following the incident a number of deceased persons were repatriated to Westminster Public Mortuary. The remains of these deceased persons were wrapped and saturated in high concentrations of formalin (apparently 40%) as a preservative and returned in lined coffins. On opening the coffins, it was apparent that there was a significant chemical hazard from the formalin to all users of the mortuary.”
The expert advice summarised the danger of formalin to be that formalin contains formaldehyde. “This substance can cause severe respiratory irritation. It is a volatile substance which means that it disperses into the atmosphere. It is carcinogenic and is known to cause acute myeloid leukaemia. It has toxic effects including metabolic acidosis, bronchospasm, pulmonary oedema and death.”
June 12 crash in Ahmedabad
India witnessed a horrific aviation disaster on June 12 as Air India flight AI-171 crashed minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The plane burst into flames after piercing through a medical college mess, where young doctors were having their meals. The Police have now confirmed that 265 bodies have been recovered from the crash site, which includes 5 MBBS students.
The crash that took place in Ahmedabad only saw one miracle survivor, Vishwaskumar Ramesh, who came out of the aircraft moments before it burst into flames. Speaking to state media Doordarshan, he said, “The side where I was sitting wasn’t on the hostel side, it was the ground floor of the hostel. I don’t know about others, but the place I was sitting that portion landed on the ground floor, and there was some space. As soon as my door broke, I saw that there was some space, and then I tried to get out, and I got out. There was a building wall on the opposite side, and the plane had crashed completely on that side, so probably that is why nobody could get out from that side. There was space only where I was. I don’t know how I survived.”
A high-level government committee was formed to investigate the crash, and a thorough report on the incident will be recorded and to be submitted in 3 months. As of this date, the preliminary reports suggest that the fuel to the engine was cut off. From the recording retrieved from the cockpit, it appears that a conversation took place between the two pilots, and both responded negatively. This clarified that neither of them had turned off the fuel.