DNA confirms identities of 31 killed in Ahmedabad plane crash

The identities of 31 persons who died in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 have been confirmed through DNA testing, The Indian Express reported on Sunday.

The bodies of twelve persons have been handed over to their families after the identification.

DNA matching is underway for several victims, The Hindu quoted Dr Rajnish Patel, professor of surgery at BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad as saying.

On June 12, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, which was en route to London’s Gatwick airport from Ahmedabad, crashed just 33 seconds after taking off, killing at least 265 people. 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”.

The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national. The rest were crew members.

Though the number of people killed on the ground has yet to be ascertained, the police said that 265 bodies had been sent for postmortem examination. This includes at least four medical students who were killed on the ground when the aircraft crashed into the hostel building of the BJ Medical College.

Also read: ‘The ceiling began to fall’: Medical student describes Air India plane crashing into hostel mess

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