Air India crash: 163 of 241 victims identified; 124 bodies handed over to families

The process of matching the DNAs of the 241 passengers on the ill-fated London-bound Air India flight that crashed into BJ Medical College, as well as those who perished on the ground, is almost over.

DNA profiling was needed as the bodies were charred beyond recognition. DNA samples of 163 deceased individuals have been successfully matched. According to Civil Hospital Superintendent Rakesh Joshi, 124 bodies have been handed over to the families so far.

Around 21 more families are expected to come forward soon to claim the mortal remains of their relatives. According to Joshi, of the 71 patients admitted to the hospital at the time of the accident, two have passed away. Of the remaining 69 patients, 42 have been discharged, one patient is in critical condition, and the others are still under treatment. Of the 30 medical students who were admitted, only one is still in hospital.

Mahesh Kapadia, Specialist Medical Officer at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, said that, "the bodies were brought to the hospital after the accident on June 12. Our team immediately began post-mortem at 4:30 pm and kept working through the night without a pause."

"During this 12 and a half hours, we completed the post-mortem of most of the bodies and collected DNA samples of nearly all, except for eight cases where the samples were not required," he added.

Following the plane crash, five expert microbiologist teams were formed to complete the process of sample collection for DNA matching to identify the bodies, while a separate unit was set up to ensure arrangements like seating, clean drinking water, and refreshments for the grieving relatives and visitors. A team of psychiatrists and counsellors has been deployed to provide psychological support to the families during these traumatic times. A first aid team is also on standby to address emergencies caused by shock or panic.

Meanwhile, 140 experienced doctors from four districts were mobilised to perform post-mortems, starting from 4:30 pm on June 12 that continued until 5:00 am on June 13. According to the state government, most of these 140 doctors have considerable experience, having performed more than 5,000 post-mortems on an average in their careers. Mahesh Kapadia himself has performed over 18,000 post-mortems and has dealt with numerous disasters - from the Ahmedabad serial blasts to the Covid-19 crisis.