A week after the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, significant progress has been made in identifying the victims and returning their remains to their families. As of today, June 19, 2025, authorities have successfully identified 215 victims through DNA matching, and 198 bodies have been handed over to their kin for final rites.
The London-bound Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 passengers and crew, tragically crashed into a medical complex shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The crash claimed the lives of all but one person on board and 29 people on the ground, resulting in a total of 270 fatalities. The impact and subsequent fire left many bodies charred beyond recognition, making visual identification impossible and necessitating DNA testing.
In the immediate aftermath of the crash, hundreds of distraught relatives arrived in Ahmedabad to provide DNA samples at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Recognizing the sensitivity and urgency of the situation, authorities have been working tirelessly to expedite the DNA profiling process. Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) teams from across Gujarat, including Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, and Rajkot, were mobilized to Gandhinagar to assist in the identification efforts. A dedicated team of 54 DNA experts has been working around the clock at both the FSL laboratory and the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to conduct profiling and matching tests.
Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, has been providing regular updates on the identification process. He emphasized the commitment of the authorities to ensuring the swift and dignified handover of the victims' bodies to their families. Civil Hospital authorities have also stressed that families will be contacted as soon as a DNA match is confirmed and that they should not rush to the hospital to avoid crowding and maintain order.
The identification process has been a painstaking and emotionally challenging task. Authorities initially estimated that DNA matching could take up to 72 hours per victim. However, due to the complexity of the samples and the sheer number of victims, the process has taken longer than anticipated. Despite the challenges, the FSL team has been able to accelerate the identification process through planned precision and the use of advanced DNA testing machinery.
Alongside the DNA identification efforts, investigations into the cause of the crash are underway. Investigators from Britain and the United States have joined Indian authorities in the probe. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has upgraded its laboratory this year to analyze black boxes. Both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder have been recovered from the crash site and are being analyzed to retrieve vital information about the circumstances leading to the accident. Following the crash, the civil aviation regulator ordered inspections of Air India's Dreamliners and initial checks on the fleet "did not reveal any major safety concerns". Air India also announced it would carry out "enhanced safety checks on its Boeing 777 fleet" and cut its international flights on widebody planes by 15 percent until mid-July.
As the identification process nears completion, families of the victims are preparing to transport the remains of their loved ones to their respective home states for final rites. The government has assured full support to the families in this difficult time, including assistance with transportation and funeral arrangements.
