Amid wait for last rites, govt expedites DNA identification

The DNA analysis of samples collected from the site of the London-bound Air India flight crash will be expedited to complete the process within three days instead of the usual three months, officials said on Friday.

- Prawesh Lama and Ateeq Shaikh

AHMEDABAD:

The tests of the 275 samples collected from the site are set to be conducted at forensic laboratories in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, the officials said.

"It usually takes about three 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, head of the department of forensic medicine & toxicology, Narendra Modi Medical College, said.

The 275 samples collected from the site will be matched with the relatives of the deceased, he said. "These include body parts disintegrated and kept in the mortuary," he said.

Due to the impact of the fire at the time of the crash, many bodies have been charred beyond recognition forcing authorities to rely on DNA testing to identify victims.

According to the Air India manifest for the London-bound flight, of the 242 people on board, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian, apart from 12 crew members.