AHMEDABAD — In the aftermath of the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171, authorities confirmed that DNA samples of 86 victims—comprising passengers and crew—have been successfully matched. By Sunday evening, 38 bodies were handed over to families for final rites, including 30 individuals on board the ill-fated aircraft and eight civilians who perished when the plane crashed into the hostel and mess premises of BJ Medical College.
An intensive operation involving more than 100 doctors and forensic specialists has been underway since the tragedy, working tirelessly to match body parts with DNA samples provided by relatives. The efforts paid off as a significant number of identifications were completed by 6 pm on Sunday.
State Relief Commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey said that families of all 230 passengers aboard the flight have been contacted. “Three families from foreign countries are expected to arrive by Monday evening or early Tuesday. Dedicated teams are helping relatives with formalities including inquest reports, death certificates, and required documentation at the hospital,” he said.
Dr. Rajneesh Patel, additional medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, reported that 24 bodies were handed over by 4 pm on Sunday. These included victims from multiple districts: one from Udaipur, five from Vadodara, eight from Ahmedabad, five from Kheda, four from Mehsana, and one from Aravalli, among others.
Heart-wrenching scenes played out outside the hospital mortuary as grieving families received the remains of their loved ones in coffins. Many expressed sorrow at being denied the chance to see their relatives’ faces one last time due to the condition of the bodies. Crematoriums across the state bore witness to emotionally charged final rites.
In Thaltej, Ahmedabad, Megha Mehta’s family bid her a tearful farewell. In Ramnagar village, Anand, the body of Mahendra Vaghela—who had been on his first international trip to meet his newborn granddaughter in the UK—was cremated with full rites.
Meanwhile, for many other families, closure still remains elusive as they await the return of identified remains.
On Sunday, investigators from central and state government agencies, led by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), visited the crash site in Meghaninagar to begin a comprehensive probe into the cause of the accident.
