The families of British victims of the Air India crash are facing further distress after it was revealed that the wrong bodies were sent to them. The devastating error came to light during the verification process conducted by Inner West London coroner Dr. Fiona Wilcox, who attempted to confirm the identities of the deceased through DNA testing.

Flight 171, a Boeing Dreamliner, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, India, en route to London Gatwick on June 12, claiming the lives of all 261 people on board. Among the deceased were 52 British citizens.

At least two families have been affected by the misidentification of remains. One family, referred to as Family X, had to halt their funeral preparations when authorities informed them that the coffin contained the body of an unidentified passenger. Another family received a casket containing commingled remains from multiple crash victims, necessitating the separation of the remains before the funeral could proceed.

James Healy-Pratt, an aviation lawyer representing numerous affected families, confirmed that these incidents occurred during the repatriation of at least 12 British victims. He expressed the families' distress and their need for an explanation. It is feared that more errors may surface as the full extent of the misidentifications remains unknown.

The identification process has been difficult, with many bodies severely burned or mutilated, requiring DNA samples or dental records for identification. Indian authorities had claimed on June 28 that DNA tests confirmed the identities of all 260 fatalities. However, the recent revelations contradict these claims.

The misidentification of remains has added immense pain to the grieving families. They are not only dealing with the loss of their loved ones but also the anguish of not having the correct remains to bury. The lawyer representing the families highlighted the importance of returning the correct remains to the families and the additional distress caused by the errors.

The incident is expected to be raised when the UK Prime Minister visits India next week. A government spokesperson stated that the formal identification of bodies is the responsibility of the Indian authorities and acknowledged the extremely distressing time for the families. An inquiry into the misidentifications is reportedly underway.