DNA tests identify 47 victims including ex-CM Rupani; 24 bodies handed over to kin

Authorities have confirmed the identity of 47 individuals killed in Thursday's devastating crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, using DNA analysis due to the condition of the remains.

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

Among those identified is former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, officials said on Sunday.

Rupani was one of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that was headed to London when it crashed into a medical college complex shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39 PM. The incident has so far claimed 270 lives, including 29 people on the ground, among them five medical students.

Additional Civil Superintendent Dr Rajnish Patel confirmed that 24 of the identified bodies have been returned to families. "These deceased were from Rajasthan and different parts of Gujarat. Fourteen of them belonged to areas including Udaipur, Vadodara, Kheda, Mehsana, Ahmedabad, and Botad," he said during a media briefing.

Dr Patel, who is also a professor at B J Medical College, said that of the 51 people injured in the crash, 38 have been discharged from hospitals, while 13 are still receiving treatment.