Ahmedabad plane crash: DNA confirms identities of 223 of those killed

Eight days after the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, the identities of 220 persons who died have been confirmed through DNA testing, The New Indian Express reported on Friday.

The bodies of 204 persons have been handed over to their families as of 11.50 am on Friday, Civil Hospital Superintendent Rakesh Joshi told the newspaper.

This includes the bodies of two persons who succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital.

On June 12, Air India’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, which was en route to London’s Gatwick airport from Ahmedabad, crashed just 33 seconds after taking off. This is being viewed as the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade.

There were 242 people aboard the aircraft. One passenger survived with “impact injuries”.

Thirty-four persons were also killed on the ground after the plane crashed into the hostel building of the BJ Medical College and Hospital in Ahmedabad, according to Air India.

Rakesh Joshi, the civil hospital superintendent, told The New Indian Express that among the 223 bodies that have been identified, 168 were Indians, 36 British citizens, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. Another 11 persons were those who were not in the aircraft, but were in buildings into which it crashed.

The remains of 15 victims were transported by air, while 189 were sent via road, the doctor added.

Meanwhile, India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation...

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