Ahmedabad plane crash: Rupani’s remains identified as probe intensifies; 32 DNA matches confirmed

So far, 32 victims have been identified and the mortal remains of 14 handed over to the relatives as the process to identify the deceased through DNA tests gained pace three days after the tragedy

Ahmedabad: The mortal remains of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani have been identified through DNA test, officials said on Sunday, as investigations into the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad intensified.

Various central and State government agencies, led by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), were at the crash site here for a probe into the causes of the country’s worst air disaster in three decades.

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So far, 32 victims have been identified and the mortal remains of 14 handed over to the relatives, additional civil superintendent Dr Rajnish Patel told reporters, as the process to identify the deceased through DNA tests gained pace three days after the tragedy. Rupani was among the 241 passengers killed in the horrific crash. One out of the 242 persons on board miraculously survived.

“The DNA sample of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani matched (with that of his family members) today morning at 11.10 am,” Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi told reporters in Gandhinagar. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel met the family members of Rupani and informed them about the DNA match, state Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said.

“Thirty two DNA samples have matched till now, and 14 bodies have already been handed over to the respective families. These deceased were from Udaipur, Vadodara, Kheda, Mehsana, Ahmedabad and Botad districts,” said Rajnish Patel, professor of surgery at the government-run BJ Medical College.

All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 787-8(AI171) and another 29 persons, including five MBBS students, on the ground were killed in the plane crash on Thursday. The London-bound aircraft came down moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport before falling inside the nearby campus of the medical college in Meghaninagar area of Ahmedabad and going up in flames.

An AAIB team is leading the investigations and they are here for the last three days, a senior state police official said. Various central agencies and the state police are assisting in the probe into the horrific tragedy.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) Commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani said the black box recovery was a very important part of the investigation process.

“When the investigation started, the black box had to be recovered. The black box is either in the front or in the back. In this case, the tail end was not destroyed and it was stuck in the first building (of BJ Medical College hostel),” the official said. “The AAIB requested us that cranes, labourers and engineers be provided. The AMC immediately acted and the black box was also recovered,” Pani said. City Police Commissioner G S Malik also reached the accident site on Sunday morning.

“Around 270 bodies have been brought to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital so far from the plane crash site,” BJ Medical College’s junior doctors association president, Dr Dhaval Gameti, told PTI.

The central government on Saturday set up a high-level multi-disciplinary panel to ascertain the “root cause” of the plane crash and assess any contributing factors, including mechanical failure, human error and regulatory compliances. The panel, headed by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, was mandated to give its report in three months. As many as 230 teams were formed to coordinate with the victims’ families, officials earlier said.