Remains of 16 more victims retrieved from Air India crash site in Ahmedabad
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed approximately 30 seconds after takeoff from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad airport on June 12.
Authorities have recovered the mortal remains of 16 more victims from the Air India flight 171’s crash site in Ahmedabad, nearly three weeks after the tragic mishap on June 12. These remains are part of the confirmed death toll of 260 passengers and crew members who lost their lives in one of India’s worst aviation accidents.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed approximately 30 seconds after takeoff from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad airport, ploughing into a hostel block of BJ Medical College in the Meghani Nagar neighbourhood. The London-bound aircraft had 242 passengers and crew members. Only one man, seated near the emergency exit on 11A, survived the crash.
“Of the 16 mortal remains, families of six victims have accepted the bodies for final rites, while nine families have requested hospital authorities to conduct the final ceremonies on their behalf. We are still attempting to contact one family regarding the handover process,” an official at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital said.
The recovery process has been ongoing for over three weeks, with rescue teams working through the debris field that spans both the crash site and the damaged medical college building.
“The identification of the body parts recently recovered, mainly bones, is being done at the Ahmedabad FSL and it takes about 48-72 hours for successful DNA matching. The identification process has been painstaking but thorough,” said a second official aware of the development.
The crash, which occurred around 1:40pm on June 12, is described as one of India’s worst aviation disasters. The aircraft began losing altitude shortly after takeoff and the flight crew issued a Mayday call before the aircraft crashed into the medical college hostel.
Among the victims on the ground were junior doctors, staff at the hospital complex and people on the street below. One passenger walked out of the crash site after he was flung from the burning wreckage.
The impact of the crash and the inferno that followed meant that remains of most of the victims, except for the 19 casualties on the ground, were charred beyond recognition, requiring officials to seek DNA samples from family members to help make the identification.
The sole survivor, Viswashkumar Ramesh, has since been discharged from the hospital and is recovering at home. HT was the first to report about the lone survivor from the crash after interviewing him at the hospital.
“He is still recovering from his injuries, especially the one on his leg. Also, he is under a lot of mental trauma from the incident, especially the loss of his younger brother who was seated in another bay of the aircraft,” a relative of the survivor in Diu said.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau continues to investigate the crash with assistance from the UK, the US, and Boeing officials. Both black boxes have been recovered from the crash site, and preliminary investigations are focusing on potential engine and flap issues.
The crash also claimed the lives of at least four medical students who were in the hostel’s dining area when the aircraft struck the building. Nearly 70 people in the building were injured in the impact. Of the 19 non-passengers who died in the crash, four of them succumbed to their injuries during treatment at the hospital.
The last passenger to be identified was Anil Khimani, 32, a native of Bhuj in Kutch, whose remains were found at the crash site on June 25. His DNA matching was completed on June 27 night at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar. The remains were handed over to his family on June 28.
