Air India aircraft crash: 114 bodies identified; Mortal remains of ex-Guj CM taken to Rajkot

Tail of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane that crashed is seen stuck on a building after the incident in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
AMIT DAVE

Almost 100 hours after the Air India aircraft crashed in Ahmedabad, a total of 114 bodies of the victims have been identified, of which 76 have been handed over to the families after completion of DNA identification process.

Of the bodies handed over were the mortal remains of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani  — killed in the Air India aircraft crash on June 12. The BJP leader’s son and wife took his remains to Rajkot for final rites on Monday afternoon. As a mark of respect for the departed leader, the Gujarat government had declared Monday as a day of mourning. Union home minister Amit Shah, Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat were among those who paid homage to Rupani at his hometown in Rajkot.

Tragedy

Of the total 76 bodies that have been handed over so far, two are from Maharashtra and two from Rajasthan (Udaipur and Jodhpur). The others hailed from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Anand, Bharuch, Mehsana, Kheda, Surat, Botad, Aravalli, Junagadh, Amreli, Mahisagar, Bhavnagar and Rajkot districts of Gujarat.

The health authorities in Gujarat have asked grieving family members — some of whom are still camping at the Ahmedabad civil hospital — not to panic as the DNA sample matching extended into the fourth day. Dr Rakesh Joshi, superintendent of Ahmedabad civil hospital said that DNA sample matching was an extremely sensitive matter that had legal ramifications. As bodies are getting identified, going forward the DNA matching will get quicker, he added. There are 54 DNA experts leading the DNA profiling operations in shifts. Of these 22 are women.

FSL teams from Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot have been mobilised to expedite the DNA profiling process, the state government stated in an official release. “Two decades ago, DNA testing for identification used to take about 5-10 hours. In contrast, due to availability of state-of-the-art FSL labs, advanced DNA testing machinery and a capable team of experts in Gujarat, the identification of victims is being completed in nearly 72 hours,” the statement added.

Published on June 16, 2025