Ahmedabad: Their fading hopes of finding near and dear ones alive having evaporated, families of the victims of Thursday’s horrific plane crash in Ahmedabad are now left with one last wish – to be handed over the bodies.
But identifying the bodies is proving to be an extremely difficult challenge for the authorities. With Air India’s flight AI-171, headed for London Gatwick, having come down within 30 seconds of take-off, the Dreamliner aircraft, loaded with 1.25 lakh litres of fuel for the 10-hour journey, was broken to pieces and reduced to a huge fireball.
According to a senior Fire department official, as the aircraft’s fuel tank exploded, it created an inferno where the temperature rose to 1,000 degrees Celsius in and around the crash site in no time.
Not only did the blazing inferno leave little chance for people to escape, bodies were charred beyond recognition and literally reduced to skeletons.
Of the 242 people on board the ill-fated flight, there was just one miraculous survivor. There were several casualties on the ground as well since the aircraft hit a hostel building of BJ Medical College.
Several medical students and others in the building and its vicinity were rushed to the hospital, many of whom succumbed to grievous burn injuries.
Hence, at least 270 bodies have to be identified before they can be handed over to family members.
Just 6 bodies identified
Till Friday afternoon, no more than 6 bodies have been identified and handed over to their families.
As for the rest, the process of identification is being done through DNA testing of samples which are being collected from grieving families.
“We have started the process of collecting DNA samples of relatives for profiling to identify bodies that are charred beyond recognition. Relatives of 215 deceased persons have so far approached us to give their samples,” Inspector Chirag Gosai said.
The tests will be conducted at forensic laboratories in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.
Generally it takes months to complete DNA tests and issue reports. But according to a senior doctor overseeing the process, it will be expedited and completed within three days in this case.
“It usually takes about 3 months to analyse an individual’s DNA and issue the report. We have expedited the entire process and will do it within 72 hours,” Saumil P Merchant, professor and head, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Narendra Modi Medical College, told Hindustan Times.
DNA sample collection
According to Merchant, samples collected from relatives will be matched against a total of more than 270 samples collected from the remains of the deceased.
“These include body parts disintegrated and kept in the mortuary,” Merchant said at Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital.
The process of DNA sample collection started late on Thursday night.
A large hall at the BJ Medical College of the Civil Hospital, which doubled up as a classroom and auditorium, has been turned into a collection centre.
‘Final toll after DNA testing’
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who visited the crash site on Thursday evening, said forensic laboratories will complete DNA testing in the “shortest possible time”.
The final toll will be declared only after DNA testing is completed.
The process of handing over bodies to the families could begin by Sunday.
Of the 230 passengers on board the Air India flight, there were 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese and a Canadian.
