DNA testing to identify passengers, kin who perished in Air India crash

Army Columns from the Golden Katar Division conduct Humanitarian & Disaster Relief Operations after an Air India plane, B787 Aircraft VT-ANB, while operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, had crashed immediately after takeoff with 242 passengers onboard, in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
ANI

While more than 200 people are feared dead aboard the Air India flight that crashed near Ahmedabad Airport soon after takeoff, the actual death toll figures will be declared only after DNA testing and passenger identification, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

One person is reported to have survived the crash.

“The death toll figure will declared only after DNA testing and passenger identification. But I have met the person who has survived,” Shah said adding how the State government and the central government helped in rescue and relief. “There was 1.25 lakh litres of fuel in the aircraft and the temperatures rose so much that nobody could be saved,” he added.

“The work of bringing out the bodies of all the passengers is almost over. The DNA samples of kin who have already arrived in Ahmedabad will be completed in next 2-3 hours. The kin living abroad have all been informed and when they come their samples too will be taken. The DNA samples from bodies have also been completed. About 1,000 odd DNA samples will be tested within Gujarat,” Shah said.

Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was also among those killed in the airplane crash.

“Our leader, Vijay Rupani, was going (to London) to meet his family. He is also a victim in this incident. May his soul rest in peace. This is a big loss for the BJP,” Union minister and Gujarat BJP President CR Paatil told reporters.

While the Gujarat government confirmed that 50 were injured in the aviation disaster and were being treated at the Civil hospital, the authorities were silent about the exact number of dead in the incident till 9 pm on Thursday.

Official sources in the civil hospital said more than 200 bodies have already been brought for post mortem, while the hunt was still on for the missing passengers. The 50 being treated at the hospital are reported to be in stable condition.

The Air India flight that departed at 1. 38 pm for Gatwick with 242 passengers crashed into a residential area in the Meghaninagar area, located adjacent to the airport. The multi-storeyed buildings in the vicinity of the crash were left charred due to the explosion.

Officials said that the Ahmedabad airport which operates separate terminals for domestic and international operations is surrounded by residential areas in south, east and north, while the Ahmedabad cantonment lies in the western side. Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel who was in Bardoli addressing farmers along with Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reached Ahmedabad about 1.5 hours after the accident. He checked on the injured passengers at the Civil hospital and also held a meeting with officials and doctors. Meanwhile the accident site where Air India flight crashed was cordoned off by the Gujarat police to enable rescue efforts, official sources said.

Relatives of passengers of the ill-fated aircraft crowded the post mortem room of the civil hospital where all the bodies were brought in. A charred smell hung in the air as the relatives queued up to identify their loved ones in front of the post-mortem room.

Published on June 12, 2025