As many as 275 people, 241 were on board Air India’s Boeing Dreamliner and 34 on the ground, including lost their lives in the plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12.
The Gujarat health department gave the official figure of casualties of the tragedy. The announcement of the death toll was delayed as authorities were verifying the DNA matches of those who lost their lives in the tragedy. Many bodies were charred beyond recognition as the aircraft burst into flames or were damaged on impact.
Health department officials confirmed that all bodies have now been recovered. Of these, 260 have been identified, primarily through DNA matching, while six were identified using facial recognition technology, NDTV reported.
The deceased include 120 men, 124 women, and 16 children. So far, 256 bodies have been handed over to their families, while the DNA identification process for the remaining remains ongoing.
The Ahmedabad civil hospital on Monday said 256 bodies have been handed over to their families, while the process to send three bodies of British nationals by flight is underway. The 259 victims included 199 Indians (180 passengers and 19 ground victims), seven Portuguese nationals, 52 British nationals and a Canadian, the release said.
Indian victims identified so far belonged to various parts of the country, including Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Diu and Nagaland.
The London-bound aircraft crashed into a B J Medical College’s hostel complex in Meghaninagar moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.39 pm on June 12, killing 270 persons, including 241 on board. Only one passenger miraculously survived. Five MBBS students of B J Medical College were also killed.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), a division of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is leading the investigation into the crash. The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of the ill-fated plane and the Cockpit Voice Recorder have also been recovered from the debris, a crucial discovery that is expected to help ascertain the cause of the horrific accident.
