Three days after the tragic Air India flight AI-171 crash, authorities on Sunday (June 15) confirmed that 80 victims, including former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, have been identified through DNA matching.
Hospital authorities also revealed that the remains of 33 victims have been handed over to their families.
The plane crash, which saw Air India Flight AI 171 crash and hit the building of the BJ Medical College, has killed at least 271 people, including 241 of the 242 passengers and crew onboard. This makes it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Indian history.
Hundreds of victims yet to be identified
With 80 victims identified, at least 191 others remain to be identified. As per reports, the painstakingly slow identification process has been deeply painful for grieving relatives who have voiced their frustration.
Pointing at delays in victim identification and perceived gaps in Air India’s crisis response, Imtiyaz Ali, whose brother was among the passengers, noted that it has been 72 hours.
As quoted by the Hindustan Times, Ali said, “the next day after this accident they should have appointed whoever they needed to ensure everything is available to us”. He revealed that a support person was assigned to him a day after providing his DNA sample.
Meanwhile, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said Saturday that over 200 trained caregivers have now been deployed to assist affected families.
Day of mourning in Gujarat
Monday has been declared a day of mourning in Gujarat, with the national flag to fly at half-mast.
Sunday marked the first cremations of crash victims whose remains were confirmed via DNA. Eight earlier funerals had been held for locals killed in the crash, whose bodies did not require forensic identification.
On Monday, former chief minister Rupani’s funeral will take place in Rajkot.
Air India crash probe panel set to meet Monday
A multi-agency government panel, chaired by India’s Home Secretary, will begin work on Monday (June 16) to formulate standard operating procedures to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Global investigations underway
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched parallel investigations. NTSB’s involvement comes from the fact that the downed aircraft was a US-made Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
As per reports, on Sunday, Boeing engineers and UK-based aviation experts visited the crash site under heavy security. The flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) have been recovered, officials confirmed.