AI-171 crash aftermath: 247 DNA matches completed, including 12 non-passengers; 232 bodies handed over to families

AHMEDABAD: Civil Hospital authorities announced on Saturday the completion of matches for 247 persons deceased in the AI171 aircraft crash that took place on June 12 in the city. The figure is higher than the 241 persons who died onboard the aircraft, including 229 passengers and 12 crew members. The crash had only a lone survivor in Vishwash Kumar Ramesh who miraculoulsy escaped even as several lives were lost on the ground.The 247 deceased identified so far through the DNA matching process include 175 Indian nationals, 52 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national. It also includes 12 non-passengers.Dr Rakesh Joshi, medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, said that 232 mortal remains have been handed over to the relatives for last rites so far. "Of the 15 bodies whose DNA has been completed, three bodies have not been received by families as they await DNA match of other family members lost in the plane crash. Six bodies have been prepared for being handed over to their families for the onward journey while families of six victims are expected to arrive on Sunday to claim the mortal remains," he said. "Out of the total, 23 mortal remains have been flown out of the city, whereas the rest are transported to crematoriums or their native places by road."Sources said that based on the figures released earlier, out of 61 foreign nationals on the flight, 60 have been identified, whereas the identification of a British national is still awaited. With all 12 ‘non-passengers' identified — believed to be the 12 crew members. Sources added that more than 95% of the persons aboard the ill-fated AI 171 are identified. "Only a few DNA matches are yet to be completed. The process is taking longer due to the nature of the samples, which are highly charred, and extraction of DNA is difficult. However, the teams have managed to use the technology to the optimum and improve the detection rate significantly even in challenging cases," said a state official.