Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], June 15 : Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel on Sunday said that the DNA of 45 deceased have been matched with their relatives, and confirmed that the death toll in the Ahmedabad plane crash stands at 274.
The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed and rammed into a doctor's hostel shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12.
"Till now, 45 DNA samples have matched. Around 274 people have lost their lives in the heart-wrenching incident," state's Health Minister said.
He also said that the funeral of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was among the victims, will be held tomorrow with full state honours.
Patel stated, "CM Bhupendra Patel informed Vijay Rupani's family about the DNA samples matching as soon as the information was received... Tomorrow, at 11.30 am, the family will receive Vijay Rupani's mortal remains from the Civil Hospital. The mortal remains will be taken to Rajkot by air and reach there at 2. The funeral will be carried out at 5 pm and the last rites will be completed at 6 pm with state honours."
The state Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) unit and the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) team are working to match more DNA samples.
According to Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), HP Sanghavi, DNA examination is critically needed to identify the victims of the tragic crash, citing that the extreme heat from the blaze that erupted after the crash had made the traditional method of identification ineffective.
Air India on Saturday said that an interim financial assistance package of Rs 25 lakh will be provided to the "families of the deceased and to the survivor" of the tragic crash. In a post on X, the Tata-owned airline stated that the package was in addition to the Rs 1 crore support already announced by Tata Sons.
On Thursday, the Air India flight AI171 was en route to London from Ahmedabad when it crashed shortly after takeoff from the airport, ramming into a doctors' hostel of BJ Medical College in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.
There were 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Of the passengers, 241 died in the crash. The lone survivor, identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment.