The day after Air India crash, the agonising hours: Families line up for DNA tests to identify kin

These were family members and relatives of many of the 241 passengers and crew who had died in Thursday’s crash — arriving from different parts of the country, waiting to provide their DNA samples so that they could identify whatever was left of their loved ones.

Families of victims of the AI-171 plane crash seen sharing an emotional moment at the DNA test centre in Ahmedabad civil hospital (Express photo by Bhupendra Rana)

According to rescue personnel, most of the bodies were charred beyond recognition, and many died with their seatbelts still on.

Inside Kasauti Bhavan, the examination hall, Abdulla Nanabawa from Surat, who lost his son Akil, daughter-in-law Hana and granddaughter Sara in the crash, was among those bracing for the long wait.

Nanabawa has been at the hall since Thursday, going to his hotel for a few hours before returning Friday morning. “I have given my blood sample… There is a body of a woman on whose chest a child was found clinging to. I am sure it is my daughter-in-law and granddaughter. But they (officials) want confirmation, so I am waiting,” he said.

Bodies of victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash being handed over to families at civil hospital (Express photo by Bhupendra Rana)

Asked for details about his son, he said, “How does it matter now? He is gone.”

According to the state government, “relatives of around 219 victims of the plane crash have come forward for DNA testing and blood sample collection”. “Their samples have been collected, and the remaining families are being contacted for the same. Ten teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), comprising 36 experts, are working around the clock for this purpose,” it said in a statement.

A senior official told The Indian Express that BJ Medical College staff are collecting samples of “first-degree family members”, mainly parents, siblings and offspring. “The confirmation is likely to come within 72 hours of sample collection,” the official said.

Authorities have also arranged counselling staff to help the families cope with the grief and the long wait.

Ravi Dadich, from Araba village of Jodhpur in Rajasthan, said his elder brother Madansingh Rajpurohit lost his daughter Khushbu (20) in the crash. “My brother has given his blood sample… Khushbu got married just two months ago. Her husband is a doctor based in London. She was going to her in-laws for the first time after marriage, and we had come to drop her at the airport yesterday,” Dadich said.

“While going back, we heard the news of the plane crash,” he said, adding that Khushbu’s husband Vipulsingh is expected to arrive in Ahmedabad soon.

Then there was Mumbai resident Santosh Nair who was seeking information about his sister-in-law Shraddha Dhawan, a crew member. “My brother Rajesh is also a crew member in Air India,” he said.

According to officials, staff from the Collector’s office in Ahmedabad have been deployed with a list of passengers on board to verify those who have given DNA samples. A help desk for family members has also been set up by the police outside the post-mortem room, they said.

Meanwhile, the only passenger to survive, Viswashkumar Ramesh, is undergoing treatment at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.