Ahmedabad tragedy: 192 families give DNA samples as post-mortems cross 250
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Ahmedabad: The process of identifying victims of the Air India Flight AI-171 crash is underway at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where bodies continue to arrive for post-mortem examinations. So far, the bodies of five victims, two from Rajasthan, two from Bhavnagar, and one from Madhya Pradesh, have been identified and handed over to their families.
Civil Hospital officials confirmed that DNA samples have been collected from 192 families to aid the identification process. A dedicated team of 70 to 80 doctors, including those from Primary and Community Health Centres in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Anand, and Nadiad, has been working round the clock since Thursday in the post-mortem unit.
The state government has established a special facility on the ground floor of B.J. Medical College (Kasoti Bhavan) for the collection of DNA samples. Health Principal Secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi said the samples, taken primarily from close family members such as parents or children, are being sent for matching, a process that may take up to three days.
To support grieving families, hospital staff and police personnel are offering emotional assistance and ensuring all procedures are conducted with dignity.
The Civil Hospital has released helpline numbers for queries related to injured patients or post-mortem identifications: 6357373831, 6357373841. Additionally, a control room has been activated at the State Emergency Operations Centre, and families can call 079-23251900 or 9978405304 for assistance.
Officials confirmed that over 250 post-mortem examinations have already been completed.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Civil Hospital to meet with the injured and express condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in one of India’s worst aviation disasters.