Air India crash prob panel set to meet today

A high-level government committee will hold its first meeting Monday to examine the Air India flight 171 crash that has claimed at least 271 lives, even as the first funerals of passengers killed aboard the Boeing 787 took place on Sunday while most grieving families continue an agonising wait for their loved ones' remains.

- Maulik Pathak, Prawesh Lama and Ateeq Shaikh

The multi-disciplinary panel, chaired by the home secretary, is mandated to submit its report within three months and will focus on "formulating Standard Operating Procedures for preventing such occurrences in the future," people aware of the matter said, according to PTI.

The committee's formation comes as a separate technical investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau continues at the crash site.

In Ahmedabad, hospital authorities confirmed the identification of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani through DNA matching, with the state government announcing Monday as a day of mourning with the national flag flying at halfmast. Rupani's remains will be handed over to his family Monday morning for funeral in Rajkot.

However, the identification process remains painfully slow for most families. Health officials said just 86 victims had been identified by Sunday evening, more than three days after the crash-leaving nearly 200 still to be confirmed.

"My 72 hours are over, but I've not heard from them so far," Imtiyaz Ali said. He has been waiting to receive the remains of his brother Javed, who died alongside his wife and two children.

At the BJ Medical College, where the plane crashed, PK Mishra, principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, conducted a review of relief efforts, visiting the crash site, meeting bereaved families at Civil Hospital, and observing DNA matching processes at Gandhinagar's Forensic Science Laboratory.