First Funerals of Crash Victims Held

Around 22 More People—All on the Ground—Are Feared Dead, Though the Exact Toll Remains Unclear

- Maulik Pathak

AHMEDABAD: The first funerals of some of the passengers killed aboard Air India Flight 171 took place on Sunday, while most grieving families continued an agonizing wait for the remains of their loved ones killed in India's worst single-aircraft tragedy.

On June 12, the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed into a residential area of Ahmedabad moments after takeoff. The London-bound flight carried 169 Indian, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian passenger, along with 12 crew members. Only one person—British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh—survived.

As of Sunday, the death toll stood at 270. However, the identification process remained 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 over 200 still to be confirmed.

Hospital authorities deployed extensive resources for the identification process, with three forensic science laboratory teams analyzing DNA samples from relatives of 250 plane passengers. The process involves matching tissue samples from bones and teeth of victims with blood samples from family members.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Sunday alerted 20 crematoriums in and around the heritage city to be ready for any last-minute cremations.

During the handover of mortal remains, the state government also provided the death certificate, Accidental Death (AD) report, police investigation documents, post-mortem report, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report confirming DNA matching, along with any jewelry and personal belongings recovered from the body, to the respective family members, a government official aware of the matter said.