DNA testing identifies 247 Air India crash victims

Indian authorities have identified 247 victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash through DNA testing and returned 232 bodies to their families so far.

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Families of eight other victims have been asked to provide DNA samples from additional relatives after initial tests failed to match.

The crash of the Air India flight on 12 June, which occurred shortly after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport in the western state of Gujarat, killed 270 people, including 241 passengers and crew on board the Boeing Dreamliner plane. The sole survivor from the flight was a British passenger who escaped with minor injuries.

"Till Saturday evening, 247 DNA samples have matched.

Relatives of these deceased were contacted. So far, mortal remains of 232 victims have been handed over to families," said Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Medical superintendent, Dr Rakesh Joshi. "The process is continuing."

Some 187 of the identified victims were Indian nationals, 52 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. Bookings for Air India flights have reportedly dropped by up to 20 per cent since the tragedy. The decline in demand in turn has led to an 8 to 15 per cent reduction in airfares across domestic and international routes.

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