Air India plane crash: Blaze left no chance of rescue, says Amit Shah

GANDHINAGAR: The intense heat from 1.25 lakh litres of burning jet fuel left "no chance of saving lives" after AI 171 crashed, Union home minister Amit Shah, who reached Ahmedabad after the crash, said.

"All bodies have been recovered and DNA tests are being done to establish identities," he said after visiting the injured.

'Heat from 1.2L litres fuel left no chance of saving anyone'
Shah said the searing heat from 1.25 lakh litres of jet fuel left "no chance of saving lives" after AI Flight 171 crashed Thursday in Ahmedabad.

Of 242 people on board, only one survived - British citizen Viswashkumar Ramesh, with business in Diu. Shah visited the crash site and met the sole survivor at Ahmedabad civil hospital.


"The temperature increased to such a level that there was no chance of saving lives," Shah told reporters after inspecting the wreckage and visiting the injured. "All bodies have been recovered and DNA sampling is underway to establish identities."

Around 1,000 DNA tests would be conducted, including for relatives abroad, who have been informed and will be tested upon arrival, he said.

"Gujarat has the facility for these tests. Mortal remains will be handed over after sampling," Shah said.

Union civil aviation ministry has ordered a swift investigation into the crash, Shah said, with the aviation department initiating a probe.

CM Bhupendra Patel, who returned from Bardoli to oversee rescue operations, joined Shah at the crash site and hospital, directing forensic and science teams at FSL and NFSU to expedite DNA collection as desperate families gathered.

Praising state response, Shah said: "Accidents cannot be prevented, but the administration's preparedness is tested during such times. Gujarat has handled the emergency remarkably well."

The Union govt was alerted within 10 minutes of the crash, Shah said, with both central and state authorities launching a coordinated rescue mission. "The country stands in solidarity with the victims' families," he said.