AHMEDABAD: Six families of victims of the AI 171 crash on Thursday received a "second set" of remains from the Civil Hospital here. For some, this may mean a second funeral.
These remains were from the 16 more found at the wreckage site in Meghaninagar during post-disaster operations; they were matched with DNA samples provided by kin.
A consent form had been distributed among relatives of the deceased, including passengers, crew members, doctors, their relatives and local residents, sources close to the development said. "The form sought permission to carry out the last rites of remains that may be found during further clearing of the spot or during medical analysis," an official said.
The six families, all from different parts of Gujarat, including Anand, Nadiad, and Ahmedabad, had asked hospital authorities to approach them in case of a DNA match. "It is rare for the same person to have more than one funeral, but in this case the families have the DNA match and certificate of handover of the mortal remains. Thus, there will be no issue even if there is more than one funeral for the remains," added the official.
Of the remaining 10 victims, the families of nine have consented to the hospital carrying out the last rites, whereas a response from the family of one victim is awaited, said the sources.
The sources added the new sets of remains are minuscule compared to the first. "Some have part of the body, whereas some have one or more bones. Due to the nature of the crash, it is possible that victims' bodies underwent intense distress that may have caused fragmentation," an official associated with the process said.
At June-end, Gujarat's health department put the air crash death toll at 260. The figure included 229 passengers and 12 crew members aboard the ill-fated flight, totalling 241. The remaining 19 people lost their lives on the ground.
All mortal remains were sent to forensic laboratories for DNA matching with the existing record of relatives.
These remains were from the 16 more found at the wreckage site in Meghaninagar during post-disaster operations; they were matched with DNA samples provided by kin.
A consent form had been distributed among relatives of the deceased, including passengers, crew members, doctors, their relatives and local residents, sources close to the development said. "The form sought permission to carry out the last rites of remains that may be found during further clearing of the spot or during medical analysis," an official said.
The six families, all from different parts of Gujarat, including Anand, Nadiad, and Ahmedabad, had asked hospital authorities to approach them in case of a DNA match. "It is rare for the same person to have more than one funeral, but in this case the families have the DNA match and certificate of handover of the mortal remains. Thus, there will be no issue even if there is more than one funeral for the remains," added the official.
Of the remaining 10 victims, the families of nine have consented to the hospital carrying out the last rites, whereas a response from the family of one victim is awaited, said the sources.
The sources added the new sets of remains are minuscule compared to the first. "Some have part of the body, whereas some have one or more bones. Due to the nature of the crash, it is possible that victims' bodies underwent intense distress that may have caused fragmentation," an official associated with the process said.
At June-end, Gujarat's health department put the air crash death toll at 260. The figure included 229 passengers and 12 crew members aboard the ill-fated flight, totalling 241. The remaining 19 people lost their lives on the ground.
All mortal remains were sent to forensic laboratories for DNA matching with the existing record of relatives.
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