Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Ahmedabad on Friday morning and visited the site where the ill-fated Air India Boeing crashed on Thursday afternoon, killing 241 passengers and crew on board and several people on the ground.
From the crash site, which happens to be the hostel complex or the B J Medical College and Hospital, Modi will go to the hospital where nearly 50 people are being treated. The exact number of deaths on the ground is yet to be ascertained as all bodies that reached the hospital morgue are charred beyond recognition.
The PM will also meet the wife and other family members of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, who was among the passengers killed in the crash.
Earlier in the morning, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson also visited the site. The airline has announced compensation of Rs 1 crore to the next of kin of those killed in the crash. All medical expenses of those injured will also be met, Air India has announced.
Meanwhile, the collection of DNA samples from family members of passengers of the flight, from Ahmedabad to Gatwick in London, has started. They will be matched with samples from the charred remains before the bodies are handed over to families. This will be a time taking process.
Union home minister Amit Shah, who visited Ahmedabad on Thursday, said that over 1,000 DNA samples may have to be collected for proper identification of the bodies.
